Varaha Purana 190.7: Adhyaya 190, Shloka 7
Determinative Exposition on Śrāddha and the Pitṛyajña
Ancestral Offering
कथयिष्यामि ते देवि यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि ॥ ये ते भवन्ति भोक्तारः पितृयज्ञेषु माधवि ॥
kathayiṣyāmi te devi yan māṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi || ye te bhavanti bhoktāraḥ pitṛ-yajñeṣu mādhavi ||
„Ich werde dir, o Göttin, ausführlich sagen, wonach du mich fragst: wer jene Teilhabenden für dich in den Riten des Pitṛ-yajña sind, o Mādhavī.“
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"boar_form_detail":"None (Varāha identity continues from prior verse; no new physical details).","earth_interaction":"He promises detailed instruction to Bhūdevī, addressing her as Devī/Mādhavī and taking responsibility to clarify her doubt."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious and receptive; positioned as the one who asked","key_question":"Who are the bhoktṛs/recipients in pitṛ-yajña rites (śrāddha piṇḍa offerings)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"The epithet ‘Mādhavī’ resonates with Mādhava (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa), but here functions as an address to Earth; no explicit Mathurā link."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Varāha undertakes to specify the authorized partakers (bhoktṛs) in pitṛ-yajña/śrāddha.","karmic_consequence":"Receiving correct instruction enables proper śrāddha leading to pitṛ-satisfaction and merit; ignorance risks misdirected offerings and reduced efficacy."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Varāha as dharma-pravaktā (expounder): the cosmic sustainer teaches the microcosmic maintenance of lineage through pitṛ-yajña.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Yajña as cosmic maintenance is implied: pitṛ-yajña is one limb of pañca-mahāyajñas; Varāha’s speech becomes the ‘mantra’ that orders the rite.","vedantic_connection":"Karma performed with right knowledge (vidyā) becomes purifying; instruction aligns action with dharma, reducing saṃśaya (doubt)."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma-clarification","core_concept":"Right practice depends on right knowledge of recipients and intention; dharma is learnable through dialogue and revelation.","practical_application":"Before performing pitṛ-yajña, learn the correct pitṛ-designation and offering protocol from śāstra/ācārya."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Studies","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 190.8 (names the pitṛ-triad)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha speaks in a composed teaching posture, assuring Bhūdevī that he will explain fully who partakes in pitṛ-yajña rites.","item_prompts":["Varāha in vyākhyāna mudrā","Bhūdevī listening attentively","ritual platform hinted in background","scroll/palm-leaf motif to suggest ‘detailed explanation’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha centered, teaching gesture; Bhūdevī to the side with attentive gaze; stylized ritual dais; saturated traditional palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted Varāha with ornate crown; Bhūdevī in reverence; embossed gold accents on teaching hand and halo.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: soft, scholarly ambience; fine detailing of textiles; subtle depiction of ritual items behind the figures.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: conversational intimacy; Varāha and Bhūdevī seated on carpets in a pavilion; light landscape beyond, emphasizing calm instruction."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, reassuring","suggested_raga":"Ānandabhairavī","pace":"medium-slow, explanatory","voice_tone":"clear, confident, gently emphatic on key terms (bhoktāraḥ, pitṛyajñeṣu)"}
FAQs
It introduces a classificatory explanation of ritual beneficiaries, a key feature of śrāddha manuals and Purāṇic dharma instruction.
No geographic site is specified; the verse remains within doctrinal exposition.
It emphasizes careful inquiry and precise instruction in ritual matters, linking correct knowledge with correct practice.
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.