Varaha Purana 39.73: Adhyaya 39, Shloka 73
Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance
Pūrva Bhāga · Pṛthivī-uddhāra (Earth-restoration) Dialogue Context
अनेन विधिना ब्रह्मन् स्वयमेव ह्युपोषिता । धरण्या मग्नया तात नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥ ३९.७३ ॥
anena vidhinā brahman svayam eva hy upoṣitā | dharaṇyā magnayā tāta nātra kāryā vicāraṇā || 39.73 ||
anena vidhinA brahman svayameva hyupoShitA | dharaNyA magnayA tAta nAtra kAryA vichAraNA || 39.73 ||
依此所规定之法，婆罗门啊，此斋戒确已自然而然地成就。亲爱的啊，既然大地曾沉没于水中，此处无需再作思量。
Sandhi Notes
- ह्युपोषिता = हि + उपोषिता
- नात्र = न + अत्र
Varāha
Burdened/submerged (cosmic distress recalled); receptive to procedural guidance
Given the cosmic emergency of Earth’s submergence, is further deliberation needed, or is the prescribed procedure decisive?
When a valid procedure is given by authority, excessive doubt is unnecessary; right action proceeds from right method.
Adopt the vidhi with niścaya (firm resolve), especially in times of crisis; prioritize disciplined practice over endless analysis.
Implied reference to Earth’s submergence (dharaṇī magnā); Varāha frames the observance/vidhi as self-evident in that crisis.
Earth’s submergence evokes the Varāha paradigm: dharma/vidhi functions as the ‘lifting’ principle—order rescuing the world from dissolution.
Implicit (not anatomically mapped): ‘vidhi’ as yajña-order that stabilizes the submerged Earth.
Dharma as sustaining order (ṛta/dharma) that restores the world from pralaya-like disorder; reliance on śāstra-pramāṇa over vacillation.
Follow the prescribed vidhi without over-deliberation when the authoritative procedure is established.
Proper adherence supports efficacy of the rite/observance; hesitation/doubt is implied to obstruct resolve (though not stated as a formal penalty).
Efficacy of the observance is affirmed as already ‘undertaken’ by proper method; supports pāpa-kṣaya and attainment themes of the passage.
Varāha Purāṇa 39.39.72 (efficacy claim); Varāha Purāṇa 39.39.74 (eligibility to receive vidhi)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative motif in which the Earth is described as submerged, situating the passage within mythic cosmology and the Varāha-centered Earth-restoration framework.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it uses a cosmological image of the Earth (Dharaṇī) being submerged rather than referencing a particular pilgrimage location.
The verse emphasizes adherence to an established procedure (vidhi) and suggests that, given the stated circumstance (the Earth being submerged), further debate or hesitation is unnecessary.
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