Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 86
Dharma-ākhyāna (Discourse on Dharma): Worthy Charity, Fruitless Gifts, and the Merit of Building Ponds
लावकेनामुनाचञ्च्वा खातं द्व्यंङ्गुप्रलमबुनि । ततः कालान्तरे तेन वाराहेण नृपोत्तम ॥ ८७ ॥
lāvakenāmunācañcvā khātaṃ dvyaṃṅgupralamabuni | tataḥ kālāntare tena vārāheṇa nṛpottama || 87 ||
লাবক নামৰ সেই বৰাহে নিজৰ থুঁতাৰে খুঁড়ি ভূমিখন দুটা আঙুল পৰিমাণ গভীৰ আৰু বিস্তৃত কৰিলে। পাছত কিছু কালান্তৰে, হে নৃপশ্ৰেষ্ঠ, সেই বৰাহে তাত পুনৰ কাৰ্য কৰিলে।
Sūta (narrating to the assembled sages), within a dialogue context of Purāṇic narration
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
The boar’s digging acts as symbolic Purāṇic imagery of uncovering and restoring what is hidden—often read as the recovery of order (dharma) from obscurity through divine or providential action.
While not explicitly a bhakti instruction, it supports bhakti’s worldview: sacred history portrays divine agency (or divinely guided events) operating in time, encouraging reverence and trust in the Purāṇic order upheld by Viṣṇu-associated motifs like Varāha.
The verse uses traditional measurement language (aṅgula), aligning with practical śāstric conventions of quantification used across ritual and architectural disciplines, though it is not a direct Vedāṅga teaching passage.