Upanishads · Bhāvanā p3
॥
Devanāgarī
वाराही पितृरूपा । कुरुकुल्ला बलिदेवता माता । पुरुषार्थाः सागराः
Transliteration (IAST)
vārāhī pitṛrūpā | kurukullā balidevatā mātā | puruṣārthāḥ sāgarāḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वाराही पितृ-रूपाvārāhī pitṛ-rūpāVārāhī in the form of the father
कुरुकुल्ला बलि-देवता माताkurukullā bali-devatā mātāKurukullā, the deity of the offering — the mother
पुरुष-अर्थाः सागराःpuruṣa-arthāḥ sāgarāḥthe goals of a person — the oceans
Translation
Vārāhī in the form of the father; Kurukullā, the deity of the offering, the mother; the goals of a person — the oceans.
Version
8224e4c7178b · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The mapping continues, and in it are named puruṣa-artha, "the goals of a person," equated to the oceans surrounding the island of the diagram. In Indian reckoning there are four of these goals, and it is worth naming them, for this count underlies the whole structure of life there. Dharma — duty, order, righteousness; artha — means, wealth; kāma — desire, enjoyment; mokṣa — liberation.
This count is notable for its soberness. In it, wealth and enjoyment are named legitimate goals, not concessions to weakness; and a person is not offered a choice between them and righteousness — he is offered the task of keeping all four in order, with the eldest directing the younger. The Vaiṣṇava side adds a fifth to the four and places it above all — prema, "love"; and the Caitanya-caritāmṛta speaks of this directly. This addition also changes the relation to the first four: they are not rejected, but they cease to be the final word.
The image of oceans surrounding an island is taken from the purāṇic geography and is apt here. A person's goals surround him on all sides, as waters surround an island; everyone must live among them, and the only question is whether he swims somewhere, or is carried.