Varaha Purana 152.17: Adhyaya 152, Shloka 17
Praise of the Sacred Geography of Mathurā
अन्येनोच्चारितं शश्वत्सोऽपि पापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥ पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि आसमुद्रं सरांसि च
anyenoccāritaṃ śaśvat so 'pi pāpaiḥ pramucyate || pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni āsamudraṃ sarāṃsi ca
Selbst wenn es unablässig von einem anderen vorgetragen wird, wird auch er von Sündenfolgen befreit. Welche heiligen Tīrthas es auf Erden gibt und die Seen bis hin zum Ozean—
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Merit accrues through continual recitation/hearing even when voiced by another; it becomes a means of pāpa-kṣaya tied to tīrtha-remembrance.","karmic_consequence":"Regular śravaṇa/kīrtana leads to release from demerit; neglect implies loss of an easy purificatory means."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-śravaṇa / śabda-śakti","core_concept":"Śabda (recited sacred speech) purifies irrespective of the immediate reciter; receptivity and continuity are spiritually efficacious.","practical_application":"Maintain daily listening/recitation of tīrtha-māhātmya or nāma-kīrtana; treat hearing as a valid sādhana when personal recitation is not possible."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: cosmic-geography / sacred-topography
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya passages that enumerate tīrthas and praise śravaṇa/kīrtana
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as divine teacher describing the earth’s spread of sacred fords and lakes, implying purification through heard recitation.","item_prompts":["Varāha seated/standing in teaching posture","map-like earth with marked tīrthas","lakes and ocean boundary","listeners receiving the teaching","scroll/palm-leaf manuscript to signify oral tradition"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha with ornate crown and halo, warm ochres/greens; stylized rivers and tīrthas on a flattened earth-map; disciples in attentive śravaṇa.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha-teacher with gold-leaf prabhāmaṇḍala; miniature tīrtha icons (ghāṭa, kuṇḍa, saras) around; rich reds and emerald greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework; Varāha in calm upadeśa-mudrā; delicate depiction of lakes and coastline; subdued jewel tones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical landscape with many small lakes and a distant ocean; Varāha addressing a small group; soft blues/greens and airy composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"madhyama","voice_tone":"steady, instructive, gently expansive"}
FAQs
It preserves evidence of oral/aural textual culture, where hearing and recitation function as key modes of transmission and ethical formation.
The verse begins a broad reference to tīrthas and waters across the earth (pṛthivī), extending 'up to the ocean' (ā-samudram).
It underscores the formative role of repeated recitation/hearing as a discipline associated with moral purification.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.