Varaha Purana 55.53 — Adhyaya 55, Shloka 53
Observance of the Auspicious Dvādaśī Vow and the Sacred Account of the Kubjākāmra Tīrtha
एवमुक्त्वा नृपं देवः शङ्खाग्रेण जनार्दनः । पस्पर्श स्पृष्टमात्रोऽसौ परं निर्वाणमाप्तवान् ॥ ५५.५३ ॥
evam uktvā nṛpaṃ devaḥ śaṅkhāgreṇa janārdanaḥ | pasparśa spṛṣṭa-mātro 'sau paraṃ nirvāṇam āptavān || 55.53 ||
রাজাকে এভাবে বলে দেব জনার্দন শঙ্খের অগ্রভাগ দিয়ে তাকে স্পর্শ করলেন; আর সে কেবল স্পর্শমাত্রেই পরম নির্বাণ লাভ করল।
Narrator (default framework: Varāha as instructor; verse is narrative description)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Kubjakāmra-tīrtha vicinity (implied narrative continuity within Mathurā-māhātmya)","parikrama_context":"Demonstrates a paradigmatic ‘darśana-phala’ episode that would be recounted at a parikramā stop to illustrate immediate grace.","krishna_connection":"Explicit: Janārdana (a principal epithet of Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu in Mathurā-Vraja discourse) and the śaṅkha emblem strongly align with Vaiṣṇava/Kṛṣṇa iconography."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
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":"bhakti-soteriology","core_concept":"Mokṣa can arise from the Lord’s anugraha beyond proportional ‘effort’; divine touch signifies removal of avidyā/bandha.","practical_application":"Seek śaraṇāgati and cultivate receptivity (śraddhā, humility); treat Vaiṣṇava symbols (śaṅkha, cakra) as reminders of saving grace, not mere ritual objects."}
Subject Matter: ["Soteriology (Liberation)","Royal ethics and spiritual attainment","Vaishnava iconography (conch as emblem)"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tīrtha-associated encounter scene
Related Themes: Continuation into the exhortation to take refuge (next verse) and the śravaṇa-pāṭha phala (following verse)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Janārdana, holding a conch, gently touches a king’s head/shoulder with the conch-tip; the king’s bonds fall away as he attains nirvāṇa.","item_prompts":["Janārdana with śaṅkha (conch) prominently forward","king kneeling with folded hands","radiant aura or dissolving light around the king","attendants/court minimal in background","subtle lotus/riverbank cues to keep tīrtha ambience"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: frontal Janārdana with large stylized śaṅkha, king in añjali, luminous white-gold ‘mokṣa’ aura rising, rich ornamental costume.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf halo around Janārdana, conch rendered in bright white, king adorned yet humbled, liberation shown as golden radiance.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined conch detail, gentle blessing gesture, soft spiritual glow, dignified royal figure receiving grace.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate blessing scene, delicate profiles, conch-touch emphasized, airy background suggesting transcendence."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn, wonder-struck","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"deep, reverent, lingering on ‘śaṅkhāgreṇa’ and ‘nirvāṇam’"}
FAQs
It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative motif in which liberation is depicted as immediately conferred through divine agency, reflecting medieval Sanskrit soteriological idioms and devotional theology within the wider Purāṇic corpus.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it focuses on a courtly (nṛpa) setting and an act of divine bestowal rather than sacred topography.
The verse foregrounds the philosophical instruction that transformative liberation is possible through proximity to, and grace from, the divine teacher-figure—presented descriptively rather than as a prescriptive command.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in 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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.