Varaha Purana 197.19 — Adhyaya 197, Shloka 19
The Division of the Gates of Yama’s City and the Description of the Tribunal Hall
तेजसा वचसा चैव दुर्निरीक्ष्यो महाबलः ॥ एकस्थमिव सर्वेषां तेजस्तेजस्विनां तदा ॥
tejasā vacasā caiva durnirīkṣyo mahābalaḥ || ekastham iva sarveṣāṃ tejas tejasvināṃ tadā ||
Durch seine Strahlkraft und durch sein Wort war er schwer anzuschauen, von großer Macht; damals schien der Glanz aller Glanzvollen gleichsam an einem einzigen Ort gesammelt.
Varāha (default framework; speaker not explicit in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The verse presents a ‘condensation of tejas’: the presiding divine presence concentrates the scattered splendors of all luminous beings into one locus, suggesting the Supreme as the source and sum of all powers.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Not explicit as Yajña-Varāha anatomy; the ‘tejas of the tejasvins gathered into one’ functions as a cosmic-ritual convergence motif (many fires into one sacrificial fire).","vedantic_connection":"Supports a Vedāntic reading of īśvara as the adhiṣṭhāna (ground) of all brilliance and speech-power (vāk/śakti), with other ‘tejas’ as dependent manifestations."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of divine sovereignty","core_concept":"All excellence—radiance (tejas) and authoritative speech (vacas)—derives from and is unified in the Supreme presence; multiplicity of powers is secondary.","practical_application":"Cultivate humility before sources of wisdom; align one’s speech with dharma, recognizing vāk as a power that should reflect the higher order."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Aesthetics of Power","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: transcendent sabhā
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 197.22 (ṛṣis shining beside him)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A central, overpoweringly radiant figure whose brilliance and commanding speech make him ‘hard to behold’; surrounding luminaries appear dim, their lights visually drawn into him like streams into a sun.","item_prompts":["central aura expanding outward","surrounding devas/ṛṣis with smaller halos","visual ‘light-rays’ converging into one point","gesture of authoritative speech (teaching/command mudrā)","high-contrast chiaroscuro to show ‘durnirīkṣya’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: large circular prabhāmaṇḍala around the central deity; surrounding figures in orderly tiers; strong outlines and saturated earth colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavy gold-leaf aura and embossed rays; central figure dominant; smaller gilded halos for attendants; jewel-toned background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant gradation of light; refined facial features; luminous aura with subtle gold accents; balanced symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic radiance with soft washes; central sun-like halo; attendants rendered smaller, gazing with reverence."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic, awe-struck","suggested_raga":"Tōḍi (or Bhairavi for grandeur)","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"resonant, elevated, with heightened emphasis on ‘tejasā vacasā’ and ‘ekastham iva’"}
FAQs
It uses the idiom of tejas (radiant potency) to convey authority and charisma, a common Sanskrit aesthetic for legitimate power in epic–Purāṇic literature.
No geographic location is mentioned; the verse is descriptive of a person’s presence within a cosmic assembly.
The verse indirectly frames authority as grounded in disciplined presence—radiance (tejas) and measured speech (vacas)—rather than coercion alone.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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.