Varaha Purana 65.7 — Adhyaya 65, Shloka 7
The Sovereignty Vow and the Cycle of Tithi-Based Observances
एकादश्यां निराहारो यो भुङ्क्ते द्वादशीदिने । शुक्ले वाऽप्यथवा कृष्णे तद्व्रतं वैष्णवं महत् ॥ ६५.७ ॥
ekādaśyāṃ nirāhāro yo bhuṅkte dvādaśī-dine | śukle vā 'py athavā kṛṣṇe tad vrataṃ vaiṣṇavaṃ mahat || 65.7 ||
Wer am Ekādaśī fastet und am Tage des Dvādaśī isst—sei es in der hellen oder in der dunklen Monatshälfte—dessen Observanz heißt wahrlich ein großes vaiṣṇavisches Gelübde.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Instruction given by Varāha as dharma-teacher; no physical interaction described."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Implicit Vaiṣṇava framing (Ekādaśī as Viṣṇu-related), but no Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa locale reference."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"Observe Ekādaśī as a full fast (nirāhāra) and break the fast on Dvādaśī; valid in both śukla and kṛṣṇa pakṣa; counted as a great Vaiṣṇava vrata.","karmic_consequence":"Proper observance yields Vaiṣṇava merit and purification; improper breaking (e.g., not breaking on Dvādaśī) implies loss/diminution of vrata-phala (implied by vrata-vidhi logic)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Vaiṣṇava-Ekādaśī vrata (Ekādaśī upavāsa with Dvādaśī pāraṇa)","tithi_month":"Ekādaśī fast; Dvādaśī pāraṇa; in both fortnights throughout the year","promised_fruit":"Mahad-vaiṣṇava-puṇya; strong purification and devotional merit (explicitly ‘mahat’)."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-yoga / niyama-dharma","core_concept":"Discipline of appetite and time (tithi) as a means to align life with Viṣṇu-centered dharma.","practical_application":"Fast on Ekādaśī; eat on Dvādaśī as the prescribed completion (pāraṇa), regardless of fortnight."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Practice","Dharma-shastra"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 65.65.8-11 (continuation of tithi-vrata sequence)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as a serene divine instructor expounding Ekādaśī fasting and Dvādaśī breaking of the fast to a royal listener; emphasis on calendrical symbols rather than action.","item_prompts":["Varāha with calm teaching gesture","seated king listening","lunar calendar wheel showing Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī","simple fasting motif: empty plate on Ekādaśī, offered food on Dvādaśī","Vaiṣṇava symbols: śaṅkha, cakra (subtle)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha in dignified divine form teaching a king; bold outlines, flat jewel tones; include a stylized lunar disc pair (11/12) and subtle śaṅkha-cakra motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: gold-leaf haloed Varāha instructing; ornate throne for the king; embossed lunar medallions marked 11 and 12; rich reds/greens and temple jewelry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework Varāha as guru; soft shading; manuscript-like calendar panel showing Ekādaśī/Dvādaśī; restrained ornamentation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate courtly teaching scene; Varāha and king in a pavilion; pale background with a moon-cycle border highlighting 11th and 12th tithis."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Didactic, devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"Medium-slow","voice_tone":"Clear, instructive, steady"}
FAQs
It reflects a widely attested Purāṇic and Dharma-oriented framework for calendrical observances, presenting Ekādaśī fasting with Dvādaśī re-feeding as a standardized Vaiṣṇava vrata pattern across both lunar fortnights.
No geographic location is specified in this verse; the focus is on lunar-calendar timing (Ekādaśī/Dvādaśī) rather than sacred geography.
The verse articulates a disciplined practice of self-restraint (fasting on Ekādaśī) followed by regulated consumption (eating on Dvādaśī), framed as an important ethical-ritual observance within Vaiṣṇava practice.
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