Varaha Purana 4.14: Adhyaya 4, Shloka 14
On Nārāyaṇa’s Ten Avatāras and Eightfold Manifestations, and the Account of King Aśvaśirā
स्नातश्चावभृथिथे सोऽथ ब्राह्मणैः परिवारितः । यावदास्ते स राजर्षिस्तावद् योगिवरो मुनिः । आययौ कपिलः श्रीमान् जैगीषव्यश्च योगिराट् ॥ ४.१४ ॥
snātaś cāvabhṛthe so ’tha brāhmaṇaiḥ parivāritaḥ | yāvad āste sa rājarṣis tāvad yogivaro muniḥ | āyayau kapilaḥ śrīmān jaigīṣavyaś ca yogirāṭ || 4.14 ||
ثمّ بعد أن اغتسل في طقس الأڤَبْهْرِثَ (avabhṛtha) الختامي، جلس ذلك الملكُ الرِّشي محاطًا بالبراهمة. وبينما هو جالسٌ هناك، قدم أفضلُ الحكماء اليوغيين: كابيلا (Kapila) المشرق، ومعه جايگيشڤيا (Jaigīṣavya) سيّدُ اليوغيين.
Varāha (default framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"After completing a śrauta rite (avabhṛtha-snāna), a king should remain accessible to brāhmaṇas and honor arriving sages, integrating ascetic counsel with royal duty.","karmic_consequence":"Respecting post-yajña purity and welcoming sages brings spiritual authority and right guidance; neglect invites ritual blemish and loss of wise counsel."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"integration of pravṛtti and nivṛtti","core_concept":"Śrauta completion (karma) naturally opens into yoga/knowledge through the arrival of realized teachers.","practical_application":"After major duties, seek satsanga and instruction; treat purification as readiness for higher inquiry."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Culture","Sage Lineages","Courtly Dharma","Ascetic Traditions (Yoga)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tīrtha/ritual bathing spot
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 4.4.15-17 (welcome; questioning; worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king, freshly bathed after avabhṛtha, sits amid brāhmaṇas when two radiant yogins—Kapila and Jaigīṣavya—arrive, their ascetic presence contrasting the ritual court.","item_prompts":["river/pond for avabhṛtha bath","king with wet hair/clean garments","circle of brāhmaṇas","two yogins with matted hair and yogic staff/rosary","subtle aura around sages"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized riverbank, king seated with attendants, two luminous sages entering from side, flat decorative foliage, warm ochres and reds.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: sages with halo-like aureoles, king seated on throne near water vessel, gold-leaf highlights on ornaments and ritual vessels.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: gentle realism; serene sages with restrained halos, detailed textiles, calm riverbank atmosphere.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical landscape with flowing water, delicate ascetics approaching, court figures in neat rows, soft pastel sky."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent and expectant","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"calm, slightly hushed, wonder-tinged"}
FAQs
It preserves ritual vocabulary (avabhṛtha) associated with Vedic sacrificial culture and situates renowned ascetic figures (Kapila, Jaigīṣavya) within a courtly setting, reflecting how Purāṇic literature integrates ritual, kingship, and yogic authority.
No specific toponym is named in this verse; it refers generally to the site where an avabhṛtha bath is performed (typically at a river or water body connected with the sacrifice).
The verse foregrounds respectful social and intellectual order: a king attended by learned brāhmaṇas and the arrival of eminent yogins, emphasizing the cultural ideal of honoring ritual completion and receiving sages with due regard.
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