Varaha Purana 115.5: Adhyaya 115, Shloka 5
The Arising of Diverse Dharmas: Devotional Observances and Varṇa-Based Duties
यच्च पृच्छसि मां भद्रे कर्म स्वर्गसुखावहम् ॥ तच्छृणुष्व वरारोहॆ गदतो मे शुचिस्मिते
yacca pṛcchasi māṃ bhadre karma svargasukhāvaham || tac chṛṇuṣva varārohe gadato me śucismite
وأما ما تسألينني عنه يا طيبة—عن العمل الذي يجلب سعادةَ السماء—فاسمعي يا حسنةَ القوام، وأنا أتكلم، يا صاحبةَ الابتسامة الطاهرة.
Varāha/Nārāyaṇa (instructor)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","earth_interaction":"Directly responds to Bhū-devī’s inquiry; affectionate address with poetic epithets, positioning himself as teacher of svarga-sukha-sādhana."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, receptive, respectfully inquisitive","key_question":"Which karma/practice leads to svarga-sukha (heavenly happiness) and how should it be performed?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-upadeśa (prelude)","core_concept":"Right practice is to be learned through śravaṇa (listening) from the Lord/ācārya; inquiry precedes discipline.","practical_application":"Adopt the śiṣya-bhāva: ask clearly, listen attentively, and prepare to implement the forthcoming rule/practice."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Studies","Didactic Discourse"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: śṛṅgāra
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 115.6–7 (the specific practices begin: namaskāra at times; Dvādaśī upavāsa)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A poised teaching moment: Varāha addresses Bhū-devī with affectionate epithets, inviting her to listen to the heaven-leading practice.","item_prompts":["Varāha seated as guru","Bhū-devī with folded hands","scroll/palm-leaf manuscript motif","gesture of ‘listen’ (śravaṇa)","soft smile (śuci-smita)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: formal guru-śiṣya composition; Varāha’s right hand in teaching mudrā; Bhū-devī in añjali; warm tones and ornamental borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf arch framing both; Bhū-devī’s jewelry highlighted; manuscript and rosary as secondary motifs; serene smiles.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant courtly setting; subtle smile emphasized; refined textiles; minimal props (manuscript/rosary).","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: pavilion scene with delicate expressions; Bhū-devī slightly leaning forward to listen; light landscape beyond; lyrical linework."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"invocatory, attentive, instructional","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, inviting, slightly elevated on vocatives (bhadre, varārohe, śuci-smite)"}
FAQs
It shows a common didactic device: repeated invitations to ‘listen’ that segment teachings, aiding oral/aural transmission and later manuscript organization.
None; the verse is introductory and rhetorical.
It emphasizes receptivity to instruction and frames ethical-ritual practice as oriented toward well-being (here expressed in svarga-sukha terms).
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.