Varaha Purana 148.16 — Adhyaya 148, Shloka 16
The Greatness of Stutasvāmi: Varāha’s Disclosure of the Bhūtagiri Sacred Landscape and Its Ethical Discipline
आत्मशास्त्रं प्रतिष्ठेत यत्र धर्मः सुनिष्ठितः ॥ भवत्वेतन्निश्चयेन न तु मिथ्या कदाचन ॥
ātmaśāstraṁ pratiṣṭheta yatra dharmaḥ suniṣṭhitaḥ || bhavatv etan niścayena na tu mithyā kadācana
Möge die Lehre vom Selbst (ātmaśāstra) fest begründet sein, wo Dharma wohl verankert ist. So sei es gewiss, und niemals trügerisch zu irgendeiner Zeit.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"How should ātma-śāstra (Self-knowledge) be established so that dharma remains firmly grounded and never becomes false or hypocritical?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Establish teaching of the Self only where dharma is firmly rooted; uphold it with unwavering truthfulness, never with falsity.","karmic_consequence":"Truth-grounded ātma-śāstra stabilizes dharma and supports liberation-oriented conduct; falsity undermines dharma and blocks spiritual fruition."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Vedānta-ethics integration","core_concept":"Ātma-jñāna must be anchored in satya and dharma; knowledge divorced from ethical truth becomes mithyā in practice.","practical_application":"Teach/learn Self-knowledge in communities and personal life where truthfulness, restraint, and duty are actually practiced; avoid performative spirituality."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Philosophy"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring Varāha–Bhū dialogue on dharma and jñāna (general thematic echo)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as a serene teacher delivering a firm injunction about establishing Self-teaching upon the foundation of dharma and truth.","item_prompts":["Varāha in teaching posture","palm-leaf manuscript labeled ‘ātma-śāstra’","dharma as a pedestal/earth-foundation","gesture of assurance (niścaya)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha with calm eyes, right hand in vyākhyāna-mudrā, manuscript and a stylized dharma-pīṭha beneath.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: seated Varāha with gold halo, manuscript, ornate dharma-throne motif, minimal background emphasizing ‘satya’ inscription.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined linework, Varāha teaching to attentive listeners, warm palette, subtle symbolic base labeled dharma.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside āśrama setting, Varāha instructing disciples, dharma shown as a firm rock-platform, gentle contemplative mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic-serene","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"steady, declarative, emphasizing ‘niścayena’ and ‘na tu mithyā’"}
FAQs
The verse exemplifies Purāṇic synthesis: dharma (social-ethical order) is presented as the stable ground for liberative knowledge, a hallmark of post-epic Sanskrit religio-philosophical discourse.
No location is mentioned; the verse is normative and philosophical rather than topographical.
Establish self-knowledge on a foundation of well-practiced dharma and avoid falsehood in doctrine and conduct.
Ask anything about this verse
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.