Varaha Purana 6.4 — Adhyaya 6, Shloka 4
The Puṇḍarīkākṣapāraka Hymn and Puṣkara Tīrtha: The Account of King Vasu’s Release from Sin
ततः कालेन महता तस्य राज्ञो मतिः किल । निवृत्तराज्यभोगस्य द्वन्द्वस्यान्तमुपेयुषी ॥ ६.४ ॥
tataḥ kālena mahatā tasya rājño matiḥ kila | nivṛttarājyabhogasya dvandvasyāntam upeyuṣī || 6.4 ||
Then, after a long passage of time, it is said that the king’s understanding turned away from the enjoyments of sovereignty and came to the end of the binding dualities (dvandva).
Varāha (default framework; speaker not explicit in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"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":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"Even a successful ruler should cultivate vairāgya; when insight matures, he should disengage from royal enjoyments and seek freedom from worldly dualities.","karmic_consequence":"Detachment reduces bondage and leads toward liberation; clinging to bhoga perpetuates saṃsāric oscillation (dvandva) and suffering."}
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":"Sāṃkhya/Vedānta-flavored psychology","core_concept":"Dvandvas (pleasure/pain, gain/loss, honor/dishonor) bind; wisdom culminates in transcendence of these pairs.","practical_application":"Practice equanimity, reduce sense-gratification, and reframe identity from role/status to inner self aligned with the supreme."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship","Renunciation","Philosophical Psychology"]
Primary Rasa: Śānta
Secondary Rasa: Vairāgya
Type: psychological/ethical transition
Related Themes: Narrative continuation into succession and forest-life (next verse)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king in his palace, surrounded by symbols of luxury, yet turning inward with a detached gaze—worldly splendor fading in significance.","item_prompts":["crown set aside","empty throne or king stepping away","fading courtly musicians/attendants","soft light on contemplative face","contrast of opulence vs simplicity"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized palace interior; king’s posture shifts away from ornaments; muted palette around luxuries, brighter aura around the renunciant mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: opulent court rendered in gold, but the king’s renunciation signaled by removing crown and a calm, luminous face; gold used sparingly on the king to show detachment.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced expression and gentle chiaroscuro; emphasize psychological turning point; ornaments placed aside with careful detail.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic interior scene; the king near a window looking toward distant forested hills, suggesting the call of nivṛtti."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reflective, grave","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"low, measured, introspective"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical motif: a ruler’s gradual shift from political enjoyment toward detachment, aligning kingship narratives with broader dharma and soteriological themes in Sanskrit literature.
No geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it focuses on an internal change in the king’s disposition rather than sacred geography.
The verse foregrounds the philosophical instruction of detachment: withdrawing from the pleasures of power and moving beyond dvandvas (pairs of opposites such as pleasure/pain), presented as a maturation of understanding over time.
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.