Varaha Purana 167.21 — Adhyaya 167, Shloka 21
The Glory of the Viśrānti Tīrtha and the Account of a Rākṣasa’s Liberation
मथुरायां च यत्स्नातं कृतं विश्रान्तिसंज्ञके ॥ तच्च स्नानफलं देहि येन मुक्तिं व्रजाम्यहम् ॥
mathurāyāṃ ca yat snātaṃ kṛtaṃ viśrāntisaṃjñake || tac ca snānaphalaṃ dehi yena muktiṃ vrajāmy aham ||
„Und die rituelle Badung, die du in Mathurā an dem Ort namens ‚Viśrānti‘ vollzogen hast — gib mir die Frucht dieses Bades, damit ich Befreiung (mokṣa) erlange.“
Rākṣasa
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","key_question":"Grant me the fruit of your Viśrānti bath at Mathurā so that I may attain mokṣa."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Viśrānti-tīrtha (Viśrānti-ghāṭa) in Mathurā","parikrama_context":"Implied within Mathurā-maṇḍala tīrtha-sevana; such ghāṭas are standard stations in Mathurā-parikramā and Yamunā-snān circuits.","krishna_connection":"Viśrānti is classically linked with Kṛṣṇa’s return/rest after Kaṁsa-vadha; the tīrtha’s merit anticipates Kṛṣṇa-līlā sanctifying Mathurā."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Tīrtha-sevā yields ‘snāna-phala’ (merit) that may be shared by deliberate gifting (phala-dāna) when requested, highlighting the ethics of transferring earned puṇya.","karmic_consequence":"Sharing tīrtha-merit for another’s liberation becomes a high puṇya act; hoarding merit or using it for adharmic ends obstructs uplift and sustains saṃsāra."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Mathurā-viśrānti-tīrtha-snāna (tīrtha-vrata by snāna-saṅkalpa)","tithi_month":"Any auspicious bathing time; especially during tīrtha-parva days (e.g., amāvāsyā/pūrṇimā, saṅkrānti) as per māhātmya conventions","promised_fruit":"Mukti-prāpti (liberation) or strong purification leading toward liberation; removal of rākṣasa-bhāva through tīrtha-puṇya."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tīrtha-phala and grace-mediated liberation","core_concept":"Purification can be mediated through sacred place (kṣetra), act (snāna), and compassionate transfer (anugraha/dāna) toward mokṣa.","practical_application":"Undertake tīrtha practices with saṅkalpa; dedicate accrued merit for the uplift of others; cultivate aspiration for liberation rather than mere worldly gain."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Pilgrimage","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: tīrtha/ghāṭa (river ford)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya sections praising Yamunā-snān and specific ghāṭas; Varāha Purāṇa: narratives of fallen beings redeemed through tīrtha and brāhmaṇa grace
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The rākṣasa earnestly asks for the merit of the brāhmaṇa’s bath at Viśrānti in Mathurā, invoking liberation as the goal; the sacred Yamunā-ghāṭa is evoked.","item_prompts":["Yamunā river with steps (ghāṭa)","signifier of ‘Viśrānti’ (rest pavilion/mandapa)","brāhmaṇa with wet cloth/bathing vessel","rākṣasa pleading with folded hands","temple silhouettes of Mathurā in background"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized Yamunā waves and ghāṭa steps; brāhmaṇa in bathing attire; rākṣasa supplicant; rich blues/greens with strong contouring.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate ghāṭa architecture with gold highlights; central figures in boon-giving posture; shimmering river rendered with decorative patterning.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant ghāṭa scene with soft light; detailed textiles; subdued rākṣasa features to emphasize repentance and aspiration.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: panoramic riverbank with stepped ghāṭa; delicate trees and temples; intimate pleading scene in foreground."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional-supplicatory","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"earnest, pleading, with emphasis on ‘muktiṃ vrajāmyaham’"}
FAQs
It reflects the Purāṇic tīrtha framework where specific locales (like Mathurā) are associated with ritual acts and their ‘fruits,’ and where liberation language (mukti) is integrated into narrative exchange.
Mathurā is explicitly named; ‘Viśrānti’ appears as a named site/tīrtha associated with bathing, commonly understood in Purāṇic sacred-geography as a locality within the Mathurā sacred landscape.
The verse raises an ethical-theological question typical of Purāṇic discourse: whether and how ritual merit (snāna-phala) can be transferred to aid another being’s release.
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