Varaha Purana

द्रव्यगुणक्रियाजातिचतुःपादः प्रकीर्तितः । संहितापदक्रमश्चैव त्रिश्रृङ्गोऽसौ स्मृतो बुधैः ।। ३२.

He is called four-footed, consisting of substance, quality, action, and species; and, according to the sequence of the Saṃhitā, the wise remember him as three-horned.

तथा आद्यन्त ओङ्कार द्विशिराः सप्तहस्तवान् । त्रिबद्धबद्धो विप्राणां मुख्यः पालयते जगत् ।। ३२.

Thus, the primordial and endless Om, two-headed and seven-handed, bound with threefold bonds, is the chief among the Brahmins and protects the world.

स धर्मः पीडितः पूर्वं सोमेनाद्भुतकर्मण । तारां जिघृक्षता पत्नीं भ्रातुराङ्गिरसस्य ह ।। ३२.

That Dharma, oppressed before by Soma of wondrous deeds, who sought to seize Tārā, the wife of his brother Aṅgirasa—

सोऽपायाद् भीषितस्तेन बलिना क्रूरकर्मणा । अरण्यं गहनं घोरमाविवेश तदा प्रभुः ।। ३२.

Frightened by that powerful and cruel one, he departed and entered a dense, terrible forest.

तस्मिन् गते सुराः सर्वे असुराणां तु पत्नयः । जिघृक्षन्तस्तदौकांसि बभ्रमुर्धर्मवञ्चिताः । असुरा अपि तद्वच्च सुरवेश्मनि बभ्रमुः ।। ३२.

When he had gone, all the wives of the Asuras, deprived of Dharma, wandered desiring to seize the dwellings of the gods; and the Asuras likewise wandered in the abodes of the gods.

निर्मर्यादे तथा जाते धर्मनाशे च पार्थिव । देवासुरा युयुधिरे सोमदोषेण कोपिताः । स्त्रीहेतोश्च महाभाग विविधायुधपाणयः ।। ३२.

When order was thus lost and Dharma destroyed, O king, the gods and Asuras, angered by Soma’s fault and for the sake of women, took up various weapons and fought.

तान् दृष्ट्वा युध्यतो देवानसुरैः सह कोपितान् । नारदः प्राह संगम्य पित्रे ब्रह्मणि हर्षितः ।। ३२.

Seeing the gods and Asuras fighting in anger, Nārada, delighted, approached his father Brahmā and spoke to him.

स हंसयानमारुह्य सर्वलोकपितामहः । निवारयामास तदा कस्यार्थे युद्धमब्रवीत् ।। ३२.

Then the Grandfather of all worlds, mounting his swan vehicle, restrained them and asked for whose sake the battle was being fought.

सर्वे शशंसुः सोमं तु स तु बुद्ध्वा स्वकं सुतम् । पीडनादपयातं तु गहनं वनमाश्रितम् ।। ३२.

All declared it was because of Soma; and realizing that his own son, oppressed, had fled and taken refuge in a dense forest—

ततो ब्रह्मा ययौ तत्र देवासुरयुतस्त्वरन् । ददर्श च सुरैः सार्द्धं चतुष्पादं वृषाकृतिम् । चरन्तं शशिसङ्काशं दृष्ट्वा देवानुवाच ह ।। ३२.

Then Brahmā, together with the gods and Asuras, quickly went there and, along with the gods, saw Dharma in the form of a bull, shining like the moon, wandering; seeing him, he spoke to the gods.

ब्रह्मा उवाच । अयं मे प्रथमः पुत्रः पीडितः शशिना भृशम् । पत्नीं जिघृक्षता भ्रातुर्द्धर्मसंज्ञो महामुनिः ।। ३२.

Brahmā said: This is my firstborn son, Dharma, greatly oppressed by Soma, who sought to seize his brother’s wife, O great sage.

इदानीं तोषयध्वं वै सर्व एव सुरासुराः । येन स्थितिर्वो भवति समं देवासुरा इति ।। ३२.

Now, all you gods and Asuras, appease him, so that your state may be preserved equally, O gods and Asuras.

ततः सर्वे स्तुतिं चक्रुस्तस्य देवस्य हर्षिताः । विदित्वा ब्रह्मणो वाक्यात् संपूर्णशशिसन्निभम् ।। ३२.

Then all, delighted, praised that god, knowing from Brahmā’s words that he was like the full moon.

देवा ऊचुः । नमोऽस्तु शशिसङ्काश नमस्ते जगतः पते । नमोऽस्तु देवरूपाय स्वर्गमार्गप्रदर्शक । कर्ममार्गस्वरूपाय सर्वगाय नमो नमः ।। ३२.

The gods said: Salutations to you, moon-like one! Salutations to you, Lord of the world! Salutations to you, who are divine in form, who show the path to heaven, who are the very form of the path of action, who are all-pervading—salutations, again and again!

त्वयेयं पाल्यते पृथ्वी त्रैलोक्यं च त्वयैव हि । जनस्तपस्तथा सत्यं त्वया सर्वं तु पाल्यते ।। ३२.

By you this earth is protected, and the three worlds indeed by you alone; the worlds of men, ascetics, and truth are all protected by you.

न त्वया रहितं किंचिज्जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम् । विद्यते त्वद्विहीनं तु सद्यो नश्यति वै जगत् ।। ३२.

There is nothing in the world, moving or unmoving, without you; bereft of you, the world instantly perishes.

त्वमात्मा सर्वभूतानां सतां सत्त्वस्वरूपवान् । राजसानां रजस्त्वं च तामसानां तम एव च ।। ३२.

You are the soul of all beings, the very essence of the good; you are rajas among the passionate, and you are tamas among the inert.

चतुष्पादो भवान् देव चतुश्श्रृङ्गस्त्रिलोचनः । सप्तहस्तस्त्रिबन्धश्च वृषरूप नमोऽस्तु ते ।। ३२.

You are four-footed, O god, four-horned, three-eyed, seven-handed, three-bonded, in the form of a bull—salutations to you!

त्वया हीना वयं देव सर्व उन्मार्गवर्त्तिनः । तन्मार्गं यच्छ मूढानां त्वं हि नः परमा गतिः ।। ३२.

Deprived of you, O god, we all stray from the right path; lead these deluded ones to the true path, for you are our supreme goal.

एवं स्तुतस्तदा देवैर्वृषरूपी प्रजापतिः । तुष्टः प्रसन्नमनसा शान्तचक्षुरपश्यत ।। ३२.

Thus praised by the gods, Prajapati, in the form of a bull, being pleased, with a tranquil mind and peaceful gaze, looked upon them.

दृष्टमात्रास्तु ते देवाः स्वयं धर्मेण चक्षुषा । क्षणेन गतसंमोहाः सम्यक्सद्धर्मसंहिताः ।। ३२.

As soon as they saw him, the gods, by the very sight of Dharma, were instantly freed from confusion and became firmly established in true righteousness.

असुरा अपि तद्वच्च ततो ब्रह्मा उवाच तम् । अद्यप्रभृति ते धर्म तिथिरस्तु त्रयोदशी ।। ३२.

Likewise, the asuras also; then Brahma said to him: 'From this day forth, let the thirteenth lunar day be sacred to you, O Dharma.'

यस्तामुपोष्य पुरुषो भवन्तं समुपार्जयेत् । कृत्वा पापसमाहारं तस्मान्मुञ्चति मानवः ।। ३२.

Whoever, having observed that day, approaches you, having gathered up his sins, from him, O man, those sins are released.

यच्चारण्यमिदं धर्म्म त्वया व्याप्तं चिरं प्रभो । ततो नाम्ना भविष्ये तद्धर्मारण्यमिति प्रभो ।। ३२.

And because this forest of Dharma has long been pervaded by you, O Lord, therefore it shall be known by name as Dharmāranya, O Lord.

चतुस्त्रिपाद् द्व्येकपाच्च प्रभो त्वं कृतादिभिर्ल्लक्ष्यसे येन लोकैः । तथा तथा कर्मभूमौ नभश्च प्रायोयुक्तः स्वगृहं पाहि विश्वम् ।। ३२.

O Lord, you are recognized by the worlds as having four, three, two, or one foot, according to the ages beginning with Krita; thus, in the field of action and in the heavens, being properly engaged, protect your own abode and the universe.

इत्युक्तमात्रः प्रपितामहोऽधुना सुरासुराणामथ पश्यतां नृप । अदृश्यतामगमत् स्वालयांश्च जग्मुः सुराः सवृषा वीतशोकाः ।। ३२.

When this had been spoken, the Grandsire, before the assembled gods and asuras, became invisible; and the gods, together with the bull, departed to their abodes, free from sorrow.

धर्मोत्पत्तिं य इमां श्रावयीत तदा श्राद्धे तर्पयेत पितॄंश्च । त्रयोदश्यां पायसेन स्वशक्त्या स स्वर्गगामी तु सुरानुपेयात् ।। ३२.

Whoever recites this account of the origin of Dharma at a śrāddha ceremony, and satisfies the ancestors on the thirteenth day with milk-rice according to his ability, he attains heaven and joins the company of the gods.

श्रीवराह उवाच । अथापरां रुद्रसंभूतिमाद्यां श्रृणुष्व राजन्निति सोऽभ्युवाच । महातपाः प्रीतितो धर्म्मदक्षः क्षमास्त्रधारी ऋषिरुग्रतेजाः ।। ३३.

Śrī Varāha said: Then, O King, listen to the account of the earliest birth of Rudra; thus he spoke—great in austerity, pleased, righteous, patient, a sage of fierce energy.

जातः प्रजानां पतिरुग्रतेजा ज्ञानं परं तत्त्वभावं विदित्वा । सृष्टिं सिसृक्षुः क्षुभितोऽतिकोपाद वृद्धिकाले जगतः प्रकामम् ।। ३३.

He was born as the lord of creatures, of fierce energy, having realized supreme knowledge and the true nature of reality; desiring to create, he became greatly agitated with anger at the time of the world's expansion.