Varaha Purana 16.1: Adhyaya 16, Shloka 1
The Account of Saramā: Indra’s Restoration after Loss of Sovereignty
धरण्युवाच । तदा दुर्वाससा शप्तो देवराजः शतक्रतुः । वसिष्यसि त्वं मर्त्येषु सुप्रतीकसुतेन तु ॥ १६.१ ॥
dharaṇyuvāca | tadā durvāsasā śapto devarājaḥ śatakratuḥ | vasiṣyasi tvaṃ martyeṣu supratīkasutena tu || 16.1 ||
قالت دهراني: «حينئذٍ لُعِنَ ديفاراجا شتاكراتو (إندرا) على يد دورفاساس: “ستقيم بين البشر الفانين، حقًّا، بسبب ابنِ سوبْراتيكا.”»
Dharāṇī (Pṛthivī)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"narrative-solemn (recalling a curse and its consequence)","key_question":"Implicit framing: how divine authority (Indra) becomes subject to karmic consequence through a sage’s curse, and what chain of events follows."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Even the king of gods is bound by the moral force of a ṛṣi’s curse; arrogance or offense invites downfall into mortal conditions.","karmic_consequence":"Loss of heavenly station and enforced dwelling among mortals (status reversal) as a consequence of transgression/offense."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma / authority under dharma","core_concept":"No rank is immune to dharma’s retributive order; spiritual power (tapas/śāpa) can overturn political power (aiśvarya).","practical_application":"Practice humility toward sages and ethical restraint; treat power as accountable to dharma, not as exemption from it."}
Subject Matter: ["Puranic Narrative","Kingship and Divine Authority","Ethics (Consequences of Actions)","Mythic Genealogy"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: cosmic realms
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 16.16.2 (Indra’s descent with the gods)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhūmi narrates: Durvāsas pronounces a curse upon Indra; Indra’s splendor dims as the decree sends him to live among mortals through Supratīka’s son.","item_prompts":["Durvāsas with matted hair and staff","Indra with crown/vajra (optional, implied)","gesture of cursing/benediction inverted","celestial court fading into earthly horizon","Bhūmi as narrator figure (optional frame)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Durvāsas in dynamic posture, Indra in regal attire with subdued expression; strong narrative clarity, minimal background architecture of Svarga.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: ornate Indra with gold highlights contrasted with austere Durvāsas; emphasize the moment of pronouncement with a radiant yet stern aura around the sage.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: courtly refinement; focus on facial expressions—Durvāsas’ severity, Indra’s shock; soft palette.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: storybook celestial pavilion; Durvāsas foreground, Indra slightly withdrawn; delicate landscape hinting at descent to earth."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, story-telling"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic narrative device—Durvāsas’ curse—used to explain shifts in divine status and the entry of deities into the human sphere, reflecting the genre’s etiological storytelling.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it refers broadly to the realm of mortals (martyeṣu), i.e., the human world.
The verse foregrounds moral causality: even highly placed figures (e.g., Indra) are subject to consequences (śāpa), emphasizing accountability and restraint in conduct.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in 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.