Varaha Purana 207.31 — Adhyaya 207, Shloka 31
Section on the ‘Person’ who Entices Beings within the Cycle of Rebirth
यम उवाच ॥ न शक्यं विस्तरेणेह वक्तुं वर्षशतैरपि ॥ शुभाशुभानां गतयो द्रष्टुं वा प्रष्टुमेव वा
yama uvāca || na śakyaṃ vistareṇeha vaktuṃ varṣaśatair api || śubhāśubhānāṃ gatayo draṣṭuṃ vā praṣṭum eva vā
Yama sprach: Es ist hier nicht möglich, dies in aller Ausführlichkeit darzulegen, selbst nicht in Hunderten von Jahren; auch kann man die Wege der heilsamen und unheilsamen karmischen Folgen weder vollständig sehen noch auch nur erfragen.
Yama
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":"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":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"epistemic limits in moral causality","core_concept":"The full network of auspicious/inauspicious karmic courses is practically inexhaustible; moral knowledge is partial and must be guided by general dharma principles.","practical_application":"Adopt humility in judging others’ fates; follow broad dharmic norms (truthfulness, restraint, generosity) rather than obsessing over exhaustive karmic accounting."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karmic outcomes","Epistemic limits"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: otherworldly court/teaching seat
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa adhyāya 207: transition from specific dāna questions to a broader framing of karma-gati
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Yama, grave and authoritative, responds with measured restraint, gesturing toward an immeasurable cosmic ledger or branching paths to indicate the uncountable courses of karma.","item_prompts":["Yama seated with staff/daṇḍa or noose (pāśa) as iconographic cue","vast scroll/ledger or branching tree of paths","Nārada listening attentively","cosmic backdrop suggesting innumerable trajectories"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Yama in dark, dignified tones with clear iconography; expansive patterned backdrop to suggest infinity; restrained, authoritative mudrā.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Yama enthroned with gold-leaf accents; a large gilded ‘ledger’ motif; strong symmetry and iconic presence.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined depiction of Yama’s court; subtle shading; emphasis on contemplative authority rather than terror.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: philosophical scene with a stylized ‘tree of karmic paths’ behind Yama; gentle, contemplative mood; minimal horror elements."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"deep, measured, authoritative"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic rhetorical strategy: acknowledging the complexity of karmic causality while offering a concise teaching rather than exhaustive cataloging.
No location is identified.
Recognize the complexity of moral causality; the teaching proceeds by summarizing key principles rather than claiming total enumeration.
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.