Varaha Purana 155.59 — Adhyaya 155, Shloka 59
The Efficacy and Sacred Merit of Akrūra Tīrtha
साधु राक्षस दत्तं ते एकनृत्यं मया तव ॥ एकनृत्यप्रभावेण राक्षसो मुक्तिमागतः ॥
sādhu rākṣasa dattaṁ te ekanṛtyaṁ mayā tava || ekanṛtyaprabhāveṇa rākṣaso muktim āgataḥ ||
«Wohlgetan, o Rākṣasa: Ich habe dir einen einzigen Tanz gewährt.» Durch die Kraft dieses einen Tanzes erlangte der Rākṣasa Befreiung.
Merchant (implied by context); then Narrator (result statement)
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":"The merchant confirms the boon—‘one dance’—and the narrative asks (implicitly) how a single ritual-performance act can liberate a rākṣasa."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Vaiṣṇava soteriology implied: liberation occurs through a grace-linked act (nṛtya as devotional/ritual performance), but no explicit Kṛṣṇa/Mathurā marker."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"A single sanctioned act of ritual performance offered/received in a purified intention can operate as expiation and become a cause of release.","karmic_consequence":"Properly directed act leads to mukti/relief from rākṣasa-state; misuse or performance without right intent would not yield the stated transformative fruit (implied by narrative logic)."}
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":"Grace + act (kriyā) synergy","core_concept":"Alpa-kriyā-mahāphala: a small, rightly granted act can yield disproportionate spiritual result when aligned with dharma and compassion.","practical_application":"Do not despise ‘small’ devotional/ritual acts; perform and sponsor them with sincerity, especially for the uplift of those in distress or moral darkness."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 155.65 (request); Varāha Purāṇa 155.67–69 (divine vision and ascent as narrative culmination)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The merchant grants ‘one dance’; the rākṣasa is shown transformed—fearsome form dissolving into a liberated, luminous state.","item_prompts":["merchant’s granting gesture","rākṣasa mid-dance (single, emblematic pose)","aura of purification/light","visual cue of shackles/taint falling away"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dynamic dance posture, bold contours; transition from dark rākṣasa tones to bright liberated hues in the same panel.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: freeze-frame of the dance with radiant aureole; gold highlights on the moment of liberation; ornamental framing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined movement, subtle glow; emphasis on facial softening and sanctified transformation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: graceful, minimal dance gesture; poetic depiction of release as a light rising from the rākṣasa figure."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Wonder-filled and affirmative","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhvani","pace":"Medium","voice_tone":"Bright, declarative, slightly uplifted"}
FAQs
It documents a Purāṇic view of performative acts (here, nṛtya) as morally and soteriologically effective, reflecting broader South Asian traditions linking performance, vow, and merit.
No location is named in this verse; the setting remains within the chapter’s tīrtha-centered narrative frame.
A small, compassionate act can be portrayed as sufficient to relieve another being’s distress and alter their condition.
Ask anything about this verse
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