Varaha Purana 174.72 — Adhyaya 174, Shloka 72
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
(इति स्वाहा होमः) हिरण्यं अन्नं त्वं देव जलवस्त्रमयो भवान् ॥ (दक्षिणाम्) उपानच्छत्रदानेन प्रीतो भव जनार्दन
(iti svāhā homaḥ) hiraṇyaṃ annaṃ tvaṃ deva jalavastramayo bhavān || (dakṣiṇām) upānacchatradānena prīto bhava janārdana
(هكذا تُقدَّم القرابين مع «سفاهَا»:) أنت الذهب؛ أنت الطعام، أيها الإله؛ وأنت متجسِّدٌ ماءً ولباسًا. (كدكشِنا:) فلتَرضَ يا جاناردانا بعطية النعل والمظلّة.
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Janārdana invoked as Viṣṇu; no explicit Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa-līlā foreshadowing in this mantra."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"In homa/ritual context, offer proper dakṣiṇā—specifically footwear and an umbrella—to please Janārdana and complete the rite.","karmic_consequence":"Proper dakṣiṇā perfects the sacrifice and yields divine satisfaction/merit; neglect is treated as ritual incompleteness leading to diminished fruit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"A Vaiṣṇava identification of the deity with sustenance and material supports: gold (wealth/tejas), food (anna), water (āpaḥ), and cloth (vāsaḥ) as manifestations of the Lord—ritual economy becomes theology.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Not explicit Varāha-limb mapping; instead a yajña-theology mapping: oblation (svāhā) + dakṣiṇā (upānah/chatrā) as the ‘body’ of worship, with Viṣṇu as the substance of offerings.","vedantic_connection":"Implied sarvātmabhāva: the Lord as upādāna (material) and nimitta (efficient) cause of ritual goods; supports an īśāvāsya-style reading of resources as divine."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of offerings (dravya-śuddhi + īśvara-samarpaṇa)","core_concept":"What is offered and what is received are forms of the same Lord; generosity is a mode of devotion.","practical_application":"Treat necessities (anna, jala, vastra, dhana) as entrusted by God; complete worship with appropriate gifts to officiants/recipients."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Gift Economy (Dakṣiṇā)","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: Ritual space (yajña-śālā/household altar implied)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 174 (ritual mantras around Vāmana/Viṣṇu and dakṣiṇā)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A homa scene where the officiant recites svāhā, with offerings of gold/food/water/cloth symbolically presented, and dakṣiṇā of sandals and an umbrella offered to please Janārdana.","item_prompts":["homa-kuṇḍa with flames","ladle (sruc) pouring ghee","gold coins or hiraṇya","heap of grains/food","water pot (kalaśa)","folded cloth/garment","pair of sandals (upānah)","umbrella (chatra)","Viṣṇu/Janārdana icon or presence behind altar"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural palette; frontal yajña scene with stylized flames, priest in white, Janārdana as blue-hued presence; emphasize ritual implements and dakṣiṇā items.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore composition with central Janārdana icon behind the altar; gold-leaf highlights on hiraṇya and halo; dakṣiṇā sandals and umbrella rendered as auspicious emblems.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore-style delicate linework; warm interior yajña-śālā; detailed vessels and textiles; subdued devotional mood.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature: intimate domestic altar, crisp objects (sandals/umbrella), soft landscape hint outside; emphasis on gesture of giving."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"ritual-solemn and propitiatory","suggested_raga":"Madhyamāvati","pace":"measured (yajña-mantra cadence)","voice_tone":"clear, steady, priestly"}
FAQs
It records concrete dakṣiṇā items (footwear, umbrella), valuable for historians of ritual economies and everyday material culture in Sanskritic contexts.
No geographic location is specified; the verse concerns ritual procedure and gifting.
It underscores reciprocity and support—ritual completion includes responsible giving (dakṣiṇā) as part of social and ceremonial ethics.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.