Varaha Purana 155.12 — Adhyaya 155, Shloka 12
The Efficacy and Sacred Merit of Akrūra Tīrtha
उपवासं तु कुरुते रात्रौ जागरणं तथा ॥ स गच्छति यथाकालमक्रूरं तीर्थमुत्तमम् ॥
upavāsaṃ tu kurute rātrau jāgaraṇaṃ tathā || sa gacchati yathākālam akrūraṃ tīrtham uttamam
সে উপবাস করে এবং রাত্রিতে জাগরণও করে; আর যথাসময়ে ‘অক্রূর’ নামক উৎকৃষ্ট তীর্থে গমন করে।
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":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"interested; oriented toward tīrtha and vrata completion","key_question":"What additional austerities and pilgrimage complete the observance, and where should one go?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Akrūra-tīrtha (Akrūra-ghāṭa / Yamunā ford associated with Akrūra)","parikrama_context":"Implied as a Mathurā-maṇḍala tīrtha visited in sequence during regional yātrā/parikramā circuits","krishna_connection":"Strong: Akrūra is Kṛṣṇa’s devotee who carried Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to Mathurā; Akrūra-tīrtha is linked to Yamunā and Kṛṣṇa-līlā remembrance"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"Observe fasting and night vigil, and in due time undertake tīrtha-yātrā to Akrūra-tīrtha.","karmic_consequence":"Tapas plus tīrtha-sevā intensifies puṇya and bhakti; negligence weakens vrata efficacy and leaves vows incomplete."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Ekādaśī-vrata with upavāsa-jāgaraṇa and tīrtha-yātrā addendum","tithi_month":"Ekādaśī night (jāgaraṇa) with subsequent/appropriate-time visit to Akrūra-tīrtha","promised_fruit":"Enhanced vrata-phala: purification through fasting/vigil and sanctification through Yamunā-associated tīrtha merit (implied)"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tapas + tīrtha as bhakti intensifiers","core_concept":"Inner restraint (upavāsa, jāgaraṇa) is completed by outer movement toward sacred geography, turning devotion into lived pilgrimage.","practical_application":"Keep Ekādaśī fast and night vigil; plan periodic visits to major Vaiṣṇava tīrthas (especially Yamunā ghāṭas) with humility and purity."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: tīrtha/ghāṭa (river ford)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa Mathurā-māhātmya sections that enumerate Yamunā ghāṭas and tīrthas (Akrūra-tīrtha among them)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee after Ekādaśī vigil approaches Akrūra-tīrtha on the Yamunā; dawn light, river steps, and a sense of sanctified arrival.","item_prompts":["Yamunā river with ghāṭa steps","pilgrim with water pot and prayer beads","night vigil lamp remnants","Akrūra iconography (chariot motif or folded hands)","distant Vraja trees (kadamba)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: broad blue Yamunā band with stylized waves; ghāṭa architecture; pilgrim in añjali; decorative flora; subdued dawn gradient.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf shimmer on river highlights and temple/ghāṭa edges; richly adorned figures; prominent haloed deity presence implied at tīrtha.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: classical ghāṭa perspective; soft dawn illumination; detailed water pot and garments; devotional realism.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical riverscape with gentle hills; delicate ghāṭa lines; intimate pilgrim figure; pastel dawn sky."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"pilgrimage-devotional, uplifted","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"resonant, inspiring"}
FAQs
It links calendrical observance (Ekādaśī fast and vigil) with movement to a named tīrtha, illustrating how Purāṇic texts integrate ritual discipline with sacred geography.
A tīrtha named “Akrūra” is identified; the excerpt does not provide further coordinates for modern scholarly localization.
Disciplined self-regulation (fasting and vigil) combined with purposeful pilgrimage.
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