Varaha Purana 137.178 — Adhyaya 137, Shloka 178
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
तस्मिन्काले ह्यतिक्रान्ते मम कर्मविनिश्चयात् ॥ त्रेतायुगे ह्युपक्रान्ते ज्ञाते च युगसंस्थितौ
tasmin kāle hy atikrānte mama karmaviniścayāt || tretāyuge hy upakrānte jñāte ca yugasaṁsthitau
Als jene Zeit verstrichen war, gemäß Meinem Entschluss hinsichtlich des Handelns (Karma), und als das Tretā‑Yuga begonnen hatte und die Ordnung der Yugas bekannt geworden war…
Narrator (speaker not explicit; temporal narration)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Implicit only: presence of bhāgavatas anticipates later Vaiṣṇava bhakti culture, but no Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa locus is named."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"social-epistemic (how dharma is preserved)","core_concept":"Śāstra and bhakti are sustained through communities—assemblies, devotees, and monastic/Brāhmaṇa learning networks.","practical_application":"Seek instruction in qualified settings (sabha/maṭha), honor learned teachers, and participate in satsanga to stabilize understanding and conduct."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Chronology (Yugas)","Narrative Causality"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: hāsya
Type: sabha/maṭha (institutional settings)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa passages on śāstra-śravaṇa and satsanga (contextual)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A learned assembly: paṇḍitas seated in a sabhā, bhāgavatas with tulasī-mālā, and a maṭha interior with Veda-knowers reciting.","item_prompts":["sabhā hall with pillars","palm-leaf manuscripts","Veda recitation posture","bhāgavata devotees with tilaka","maṭha setting (guru seat, water pot, deer-skin/āsana)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: symmetrical sabhā scene, bold outlines; paṇḍitas and bhāgavatas in distinct groups; maṭha interior with ritual lamps.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf accents on manuscripts and halos; ornate sabhā architecture; richly dressed scholars, devotional insignia highlighted.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: fine detailing of textiles and manuscripts; calm scholarly faces; balanced composition of sabhā and maṭha vignettes.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate satsanga in a pavilion; soft hills behind; delicate gestures of debate/recitation; gentle palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, community-invoking","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, enumerative, slightly uplifted"}
FAQs
It uses yuga-chronology as a narrative scaffold—an important feature of Purāṇic historiography and cosmological timekeeping.
No geographic location is named in this verse.
The verse primarily sets a cosmological-historical frame rather than issuing a direct ethical injunction.
Ask anything about this verse
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