Varaha Purana 47.3 — Adhyaya 47, Shloka 3
The Rite of Śrāvaṇa Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī (Dāmodara Worship) and the Exemplum of King Nṛga
चक्रपाणयेति भुजौ कण्ठं च हरये तथा । मुञ्जकेशाय च शिरो भद्रायेति शिखां तथा ॥ ४७.३ ॥
cakrapāṇayeti bhujau kaṇṭhaṃ ca haraye tathā | muñjakeśāya ca śiro bhadrāyeti śikhāṃ tathā || 47.3 ||
عند تلاوة «لِتشَكْرَبَانِي (Cakrapāṇi)» يُجعل ذلك على الذراعين كليهما؛ وكذلك تُجعل الحنجرة لهَرِي (Hari). ويُجعل الرأس لمُنْجَكِيشَا (Muñjakeśa)، ومثل ذلك تُجعل الخصلة العلوية (śikhā) لِبَهْدْرَا (Bhadrā).
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Cakrapāṇi/Hari are pan-Vaiṣṇava; the name Muñjakeśa can be read as a specific epithet used in ritual naming; no explicit Mathurā linkage."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Continue aṅga-nyāsa: arms to Cakrapāṇi, throat to Hari, head to Muñjakeśa, and śikhā to Bhadrā (as per the given mantra-assignments).","karmic_consequence":"Following: completeness of nyāsa and strengthened mantra-siddhi (implied); omission: incomplete ritual installation and reduced efficacy (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Dvādaśī arcana with aṅga-nyāsa (continuation)","tithi_month":"Not stated in this verse (contextually within the same vrata instruction sequence)","promised_fruit":"Not stated here; contributes to successful worship and accumulation of puṇya through disciplined practice."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Nyāsa aligns the devotee’s limbs with divine functions: arms (power/action) to the discus-bearer, throat (speech/breath) to Hari, head/topknot (identity/resolve) to specific epithets—ritualizing the whole person as Viṣṇu-oriented.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit yajña-body mapping: arms as instruments of offering/action, throat as recitation channel, head/śikhā as vow-marker; not explicit Varāha-yajña anatomy but consistent with yajña-internalization.","vedantic_connection":"Supports disciplined antahkaraṇa orientation: karma (arms), vāk/prāṇa (throat), buddhi/saṅkalpa (head) offered to the Lord—an upāsanā bridge toward inner renunciation."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"self-offering (īśvara-arpana)","core_concept":"Consecrate action, speech, and intention by ‘placing’ the Lord’s names upon the limbs that enact them.","practical_application":"During worship, touch the specified limbs while reciting each name distinctly; maintain śaucā and mental visualization of the Lord’s attributes (cakra, hari-bhāva)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Mantra-nyāsa","Vaishnava Iconography"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: ritual-body (adhyātma-kṣetra)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 47.47.2 provides the earlier limb-assignments; together they form a complete nyāsa sequence
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee completes nyāsa by touching arms, throat, head, and śikhā while invoking Cakrapāṇi, Hari, Muñjakeśa, and Bhadrā; Viṣṇu with discus is present as the focus.","item_prompts":["Viṣṇu holding cakra (discus)","devotee touching both arms","hand at throat (mantra channel)","hand at head and then topknot (śikhā)","subtle protective aura around limbs"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: bold Viṣṇu with cakra; devotee in rhythmic nyāsa gestures; emphasize stylized śikhā and ornamental borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Viṣṇu with prominent cakra in gold; devotee performing limb touches; rich gold embossing on ornaments and halo.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined depiction of cakra and calm devotee; gentle highlights on throat/head/śikhā gestures; classical interior shrine setting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: delicate miniature with clear gesture sequence; Viṣṇu with cakra, devotee’s topknot emphasized; soft landscape or palace-shrine backdrop."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"focused, protective, mantric","suggested_raga":"Bhairav (austere, protective tone)","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"firm but low, with measured pauses after each name to match the nyāsa placements."}
FAQs
It preserves a ritual-technical register within Purāṇic literature, reflecting how devotional and liturgical practices (such as aṅga-nyāsa/body-assignment of divine names) circulated in Sanskrit textual traditions alongside narrative material.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is primarily ritual and iconographic (assigning divine epithets to body parts).
Rather than an explicit ethical injunction, the verse conveys a disciplined contemplative practice: aligning bodily awareness with named divine attributes, emphasizing attentiveness, order, and intentionality in ritual performance.
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