EARNINGS PER SHARE - Computation of Net Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jul. 01, 2016	Jul. 03, 2015	Jul. 01, 2016	Jul. 03, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net earnings attributable to Varian	$ 98,795	$ 113,506	$ 284,793	$ 312,789
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic (in shares)	94,940	99,721	95,955	100,090
Dilutive effect of potential common shares (in shares)	492	733	567	930
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted (in shares)	95,432	100,454	96,522	101,020
Net earnings per share - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 1.04	$ 1.14	$ 2.97	$ 3.13
Net earnings per share - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 1.04	$ 1.13	$ 2.95	$ 3.10
Anti-dilutive employee shared based awards, excluded (in shares)	2,014	948	2,016	994