Varaha Purana 151.76: Adhyaya 151, Shloka 76
The Sacred Greatness of Lohārgala
The ‘Iron-Bolt’ Tīrtha
माहात्म्यं पद्मपत्राक्षि गुह्यं यच्च महौजसम् ॥ माङ्गल्यं च पवित्रं च मम भक्तसुखावहम् ॥
māhātmyaṃ padmapatrākṣi guhyaṃ yac ca mahaujasam || māṅgalyaṃ ca pavitraṃ ca mama bhaktasukhāvaham ||
হে পদ্মপত্রনয়না! এই মাহাত্ম্য গূঢ় ও মহাতেজস্বী; এটি মঙ্গলময়, পবিত্র এবং আমার ভক্তদের কল্যাণবাহী।
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"compassion","earth_interaction":"Addresses Bhū-devī intimately as 'padmapatrākṣi', offering a purifying, auspicious teaching meant for her and for devotees."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"receptive, honored, and spiritually attentive as the addressed listener","key_question":"What is the secret, potent māhātmya that purifies and brings welfare to devotees?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"promised_fruit":"General phala-śruti: auspiciousness, purification, and devotee-welfare through hearing/receiving the māhātmya."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The 'guhya māhātmya' functions as a purificatory revelation: Varāha as the salvific Veda-bearing Lord whose speech itself is pāvana (purifying) and maṅgalya (auspicious), aligning śravaṇa/adhyayana with inner cleansing.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: Varāha’s utterance as yajña-like sanctifier (vāg-yajña), where the narrative becomes the oblation that purifies the listener.","vedantic_connection":"Śabda as pramāṇa: sacred narration (itihāsa-purāṇa) as a means to sattva-śuddhi leading toward bhakti and jñāna; 'guhya' hints at upaniṣadic-style esoteric import."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"soteriology through śravaṇa/bhakti","core_concept":"Sacred narrative, when received with devotion, is both auspicious and purifying and yields devotee-welfare.","practical_application":"Hear/recite/teach the māhātmya with faith and confidentiality (guhyatā) where appropriate, treating it as a purifier of mind and conduct."}
Subject Matter: ["Textual Praise (Māhātmya)","Purification Concepts","Devotional Culture"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: dialogue-space (purāṇic kathā)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring māhātmya-phalaśruti passages in tīrtha-khaṇḍas and vrata-kathās
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha, serene and authoritative, addresses lotus-eyed Bhū-devī, presenting a 'secret māhātmya' as a radiant, purifying teaching.","item_prompts":["Varāha with calm expression","Bhū-devī with lotus-like eyes","scroll/palm-leaf manuscript or glowing text aura","purificatory light or water motif","devotees in background receiving blessings"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal Varāha with ornate crown and Vaishnava ornaments, Bhū-devī in graceful profile, warm earthy palette, manuscript motif as a luminous aureole of script.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf halo around Varāha, embossed jewelry, Bhū-devī seated with lotus, a gilded manuscript/śāstra panel signifying 'guhya māhātmya'.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: delicate linework, subdued elegance, Varāha teaching gesture (vyākhyāna-mudrā), Bhū-devī attentive, soft glow indicating purification.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate dialogue in a hillside pavilion, simplified Varāha iconography with expressive faces, a small manuscript bundle, gentle devotional mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent, auspicious, confidential (guhya)","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"warm, steady, benedictory"}
FAQs
It exemplifies the Purāṇic genre of māhātmya—didactic praise texts that circulated as guides to sacred places/rites and as legitimizing narratives.
No specific place-name is given in this verse; it characterizes the discourse itself as secret, auspicious, and purifying.
The instruction is to value purifying, auspicious teachings and to approach them with discretion (guhya), aligning practice with well-being and moral cultivation.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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.