Varaha Purana 6.24 — Adhyaya 6, Shloka 24
The Puṇḍarīkākṣapāraka Hymn and Puṣkara Tīrtha: The Account of King Vasu’s Release from Sin
सद्यो मृतश्च विप्रेन्द्रस्त्वं च राजन् मुदा युतः । हरिणोऽयं हत इति यावत् पश्यसि पार्थिव । तावन्मृगवपुर्विप्रो मृतः प्रस्त्रवणे गिरौ ॥ ६.२४ ॥
sadyo mṛtaś ca viprendras tvaṃ ca rājan mudā yutaḥ | hariṇo 'yaṃ hata iti yāvat paśyasi pārthiva | tāvan mṛgavapur vipro mṛtaḥ prastravaṇe girau || 6.24 ||
ব্রাহ্মণশ্রেষ্ঠ তিনি তৎক্ষণাৎ মারা গেলেন; আর তুমি, হে রাজন, আনন্দে ভরে ‘এই হরিণটি নিহত হয়েছে’—এমন ভেবে, হে পার্থিব, তাকিয়ে রইলে। ততক্ষণে মৃগদেহধারী সেই ব্রাহ্মণ প্রস্ত্রবণ পর্বতে মৃত অবস্থায় পড়ে ছিলেন।
Varāha (default framework; speaker not explicit in the 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":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"How does delusion (taking a brāhmaṇa for a deer) and rejoicing in violence deepen culpability, and what is the weight of such a death in a sacred place?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Prastravaṇa (giri)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Brahmin-slaying (even by error) is mahāpātaka; delight in the act signals inner adharmic disposition and necessitates urgent śānti/prāyaścitta.","karmic_consequence":"Unexpiated brahmahatyā leads to severe karmic downfall and naraka-association in Dharma literature; remorse and expiation are the path to release."}
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":"discernment and intention","core_concept":"Ethical failure is twofold: wrongful act and wrongful relish; inner attitude (bhāva) shapes karmic gravity.","practical_application":"Cultivate non-cruelty and vigilance; when harm occurs, respond with immediate remorse and corrective action rather than self-justification."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative Literature","Sacred Geography"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: giri (mountain)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 6.6.25 (agitation after seeing); Varāha Purāṇa 6.6.26 (nightly fear and resolve for śānti)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king watches with satisfaction, believing a deer is slain, while the deer-bodied brāhmaṇa lies dead on Prastravaṇa’s rocky slope.","item_prompts":["rocky mountain slope","fallen deer-form brāhmaṇa with ascetic markers","king’s pleased expression turning to dawning doubt","wind-swept landscape","sense of sacred stillness"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: mountain rendered in stylized bands, fallen figure centered, king’s expression contrasted (joy vs impending realization), muted solemn palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic mountain backdrop, gilded ornaments on king, strong contrast between regal splendor and the austere fallen sage.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: detailed rocky textures, nuanced facial transition on king, atmospheric depth around the corpse.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical mountain scene, delicate sorrowful emphasis on the fallen brāhmaṇa, soft washes to convey moral poignancy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"tragic-cautionary","suggested_raga":"Bhairavī","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"heavy, reflective"}
FAQs
It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative technique: a moralized episode (here, a hunt) that links human action, misrecognition, and consequence, while also anchoring the story to a named landscape feature.
Prastravaṇa is named as a mountain locale (girau). In many Purāṇic and epic contexts, such names function as sacred-geographic markers; precise modern identification varies by scholarly tradition and requires cross-textual comparison.
The verse highlights the ethical risk of harm caused by misperception and impulsive action (here framed through hunting), emphasizing attentiveness to the true nature and status of living beings.
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