Varaha Purana 37.35 — Adhyaya 37, Shloka 35
The Threefold Discipline (Mental, Physical, Verbal) and the Salvific Power of Hearing Nārāyaṇa’s Name
ऋषिरुवाच । जिघृक्षोर्मृगराजस्य यत्त्वया रक्षितो ह्यहम् । तत्पुत्र तुष्टस्ते दद्मि वरं वरय सुव्रत ॥ ३७.३५ ॥
ṛṣir uvāca | jighṛkṣor mṛgarājasya yat tvayā rakṣito hy aham | tatputra tuṣṭas te dadmi varaṃ varaya suvrata || 37.35 ||
Der Ṛṣi sprach: „Als der König der Tiere, der Löwe, im Begriff war, mich zu packen, hast du mich beschützt. Darum, mein Sohn, bin ich mit dir zufrieden. Ich gewähre dir eine Gabe—wähle eine Gabe, o du mit gutem Gelübde.“
Ṛṣi
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":"Implicitly invites the disciple to articulate his highest desire: ‘Choose a boon—what do you truly seek?’"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Protection of a vulnerable person—even by one of lowly profession—earns the gratitude of sages and becomes a basis for spiritual uplift and legitimate reward (vara).","karmic_consequence":"Compassionate protection yields puṇya and access to higher instruction/boons; failure to protect (or predatory violence) reinforces pāpa and social-spiritual decline."}
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":"dharma as inner disposition","core_concept":"Dharma is measured by conduct (rakṣaṇa, dayā), not by birth or occupation; a sage’s boon validates ethical action and opens a path to transformation.","practical_application":"Prioritize protection of life and the helpless; cultivate ‘suvrata’ (good vow/discipline) so that merit becomes stable and teachable."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative","Dharma (vows and conduct)"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇā
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: forest/wilderness implied by lion encounter
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 37.37.36 (vyādha’s response: boon as speech/instruction)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sage, recently saved from a lion, blesses the hunter with paternal affection, offering a boon; the lion’s threat is shown as a just-past event.","item_prompts":["ṛṣi with matted hair and staff","hunter with bow/spear","lion in background retreating or subdued","gesture of blessing (vara-mudrā)","forest setting"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style; expressive lion in background; ṛṣi calm and luminous; hunter respectful; dense forest motifs and stylized foliage.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style; ṛṣi with gold halo; hunter richly patterned but humble posture; lion rendered as decorative emblem; ornate frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style; fine facial expressions; subdued forest palette; emphasis on the blessing hand and the hunter’s folded hands.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature; crisp forest linework; lion placed diagonally to show prior danger; intimate guru-śiṣya mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"benedictory and intimate","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"warm, paternal"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative pattern: protection (rakṣā) leading to the granting of a boon (vara), illustrating reciprocity and moral causality within classical Sanskrit storytelling.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; the setting is presented as a narrative circumstance (a sage threatened by a lion).
The verse foregrounds the ethical value of protecting others in danger and presents gratitude as a basis for benevolent recompense (the granting of a boon).
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