Varaha Purana 176.55 — Adhyaya 176, Shloka 55
The Māhātmya of Kṛṣṇagaṅgodbhava, Kāliñjara, and the Five Sacred Baths: The Tale of Pāñcāla and Tilottamā
अनुज्ञां देहि भो स्वामिंस्तव पादौ नमाम्यहम् ॥ विश्राव्य तस्य तत्पापं चितां दीप्य घृतोक्षिताम् ॥
anujñāṃ dehi bho svāmiṃs tava pādau namāmy aham | viśrāvya tasya tatpāpaṃ citāṃ dīpya ghṛtokṣitām ||
হে স্বামী, অনুমতি দিন; আমি আপনার পদযুগলে প্রণাম করি। তার পাপ ঘোষণা করে, ঘৃতসিঞ্চিত চিতায় সে অগ্নি প্রজ্বালিত করল।
Supplicant/confessor (speaker not named in excerpt)
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":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"May I receive your authorization to proceed—after publicly declaring the sin—toward the final expiatory act (self-immolation/pyre), and will this resolve the pāpa?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"For extreme transgressions, prāyaścitta may culminate in a terminal act under guru/authority permission; public confession precedes the act.","karmic_consequence":"With proper sanction and truthful proclamation, the act is framed as expiation aiming at purification; without authorization/rightness, it risks being mere self-destruction and karmically fruitless or harmful."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"authority, confession, and the limits of expiation","core_concept":"Ethical repair requires truth and legitimate guidance; severe acts must be governed by dharma (anujñā) rather than despair.","practical_application":"Do not undertake drastic ‘expiations’ impulsively; seek qualified counsel, disclose fully, and follow proportionate, scripturally grounded remedies."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: śmaśāna/cremation site (implied)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 176.56–59 (confession, impurity, purification, repeated questioning)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The supplicant bows at the master’s feet seeking permission; after declaring the sin, a ghee-sprinkled pyre is lit, solemn and ritualized.","item_prompts":["supplicant prostrating at guru’s feet","guru granting/withholding permission gesture","funeral pyre with controlled flames","ghee vessel (ghṛta-pātra) and ladle","witnesses at a respectful distance"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dignified cremation-ground tableau, stylized flames, devotee at guru’s feet; avoid graphic detail, emphasize ritual solemnity and moral gravity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf flames and ornaments, central guru figure with halo, pyre rendered as sacred fire altar-like form, ornate borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: balanced composition, realistic firelight, expressive yet restrained faces; focus on the moment of permission and surrender.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: twilight cremation-ground scene with soft gradients, small figures, poignant stillness; fire as the luminous focal point."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn, ritual-final","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"deep, steady, authoritative"}
FAQs
It juxtaposes moral disclosure with ritual action, reflecting how Purāṇic storytelling often links ethics, expiation, and funerary practice.
No location is specified in this verse; it continues a Mathurā/tīrtha-adjacent narrative sequence.
The verse emphasizes accountability (publicly acknowledging wrongdoing) and deference to instruction/permission before undertaking grave actions.
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