Varaha Purana 177.8 — Adhyaya 177, Shloka 8
The Curse of Sāmba and the Prescribed Observance of Sun-Worship
नरके पुरुषः प्रोक्तो विपरीतो मनीषिभिः ॥ तस्मात्साम्बं समाहूय तथा देवीगणं च तम्
narake puruṣaḥ prokto viparīto manīṣibhiḥ || tasmātsāmbaṃ samāhūya tathā devīgaṇaṃ ca tam
મનીષીઓએ કહ્યું છે કે જે પુરુષ ધર્મના વિરુદ્ધ વર્તે છે તે નરકમાં પડે છે. તેથી સામ્બને બોલાવી અને તેમ જ દેવીઓના ગણને પણ (તેને) બોલાવ્યો.
Varāha (default attribution; speaker not explicit in fragment)
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,"instruction_summary":"One who acts viparīta (contrary to right conduct) is said by the wise to fall into naraka; therefore the matter is to be examined in an assembly.","karmic_consequence":"Viparīta-ācāra leads to naraka; alignment with dharma avoids such downfall."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics (dharma-adharma viveka)","core_concept":"Viparīta-ācāra is self-destructive and leads to painful post-mortem states (nāraka).","practical_application":"Use learned counsel and communal scrutiny (sabhā) to test one’s conduct against dharma before acting."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative literature","Social conduct"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: court/assembly
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 177.12–15 (assembly, discernment, agitation)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A solemn proclamation about naraka for wrong conduct, followed by the summoning of Sāmba and an assembly of goddesses to a formal hearing.","item_prompts":["raised hand of the presiding figure indicating summons","messengers or attendants calling Sāmba","group of devīs gathering","courtly hall with pillars and arranged seats"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: temple-like sabhā with warm ochres/greens; presiding figure centered, attendants summoning Sāmba; devīs in orderly cluster, expressive but restrained.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: gold-leaf sabhā backdrop, ornate throne/seat for the presider, richly jeweled devīs assembling, Sāmba being called from the side.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined court interior, delicate linework; emphasis on dignified gestures of summoning and the moral seriousness of the proclamation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate palace hall with patterned textiles; narrative sequencing—summons on one side, devīs assembling on the other."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and grave","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm, judicial, admonitory"}
FAQs
It shows the Purāṇic method of embedding ethical statements within narrative sequences, using named figures (such as Sāmba) to frame moral and social instruction.
No geographic location is specified in this verse.
The verse reiterates a moral contrast: being 'contrary' to right conduct is associated with negative consequences, then pivots into a narrative exemplum.
Ask anything about this verse
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