Varaha Purana 209.9: Adhyaya 209, Shloka 9
Description of the Greatness of the Pativratā
Marital Fidelity and Ethical Devotion
सा न मृत्युमुखं याति एवं या स्त्री पतिव्रता ॥ एवं या तु भवेद्नित्यं भर्त्तुः प्रियहिते रता ॥
sā na mṛtyumukhaṃ yāti evaṃ yā strī pativratā || evaṃ yā tu bhavennityaṃ bharttuḥ priyahite ratā ||
Eine solche Frau gelangt nicht in den „Rachen des Todes“ — so ist es bei der Frau, die ihrem Gatten ergeben ist. Ebenso gilt dies für die, die stets mit dem beschäftigt ist, was ihrem Mann lieb und heilsam ist (so wird sie bezeichnet).
Varāha (default, instructor voice)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"A pativratā—constantly devoted to her husband’s प्रिय-हित (what is dear and beneficial)—is praised as avoiding the ‘mouth of death’ (mṛtyu-mukha).","karmic_consequence":"Observance leads to protection from death-bound downfall/inauspicious post-mortem fate; neglect implies vulnerability to mṛtyu-mukha imagery (spiritual peril)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma-ethics (gṛhastha)","core_concept":"Soteriological framing of household fidelity: sustained orientation to another’s welfare (priya-hita) as a dharmic safeguard against apāya (downfall).","practical_application":"Cultivate consistent, non-episodic service and goodwill within marriage; interpret ‘mṛtyu-mukha’ as both moral peril and post-mortem suffering to be avoided by disciplined conduct."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Soteriological imagery (mṛtyu-mukha)","Householder conduct"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: dharmavīra
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 209.11–14 (continuation of pativratā praise and sense-restraint)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as a serene teacher-figure delivering dharma on pativratā conduct; the ‘mouth of death’ appears as a distant, shadowy threshold avoided by the devoted wife.","item_prompts":["Varāha in teaching posture (āsana)","gesture of instruction (vyākhyāna-mudrā)","devoted wife with modest attire","symbolic ‘mṛtyu-mukha’ as dark archway far away","household setting (gṛha)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha as calm guru with ornate crown and large expressive eyes, warm earth tones; a subtle dark gateway labeled as mṛtyu-dvāra in the background; domestic interior motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha-guru with gold-leaf halo, rich jewelry; pativratā standing respectfully; distant blackened arch as mṛtyu-mukha; heavy ornamental borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading; Varāha instructing, pativratā attentive; symbolic death-gate minimized, emphasis on serenity and dharma.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical domestic courtyard, gentle hills; Varāha as divine teacher; pativratā in profile; mṛtyu-gate as a small ominous doorway beyond the courtyard."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, protective","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, instructive, slightly grave on mṛtyu-mukha phrase"}
FAQs
It illustrates how Purāṇic texts often link domestic virtue to auspicious outcomes using vivid metaphors like ‘the mouth of death’.
No place-name appears here; the verse is thematic (ethical instruction) rather than geographical.
Consistent commitment to a spouse’s welfare is presented as a defining mark of the pativratā.
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