Varaha Purana 52.7 — Adhyaya 52, Shloka 7

The Genealogy of Trivarṇa, Manohvā, and the Akṣa Lineage, with the Construction of the Nine-Gated City

Devanagari script

ततस्तत्पुरसंस्थस्तु पशुपालो महान्नृपः । संसूच्य वाचकाञ्छब्दान् वेदान् सस्मार तत्पुरे ॥ ५२.७ ॥

Transliteration

tatastatpurasam̐sthastu paśupālo mahānnṛpaḥ | saṃsūcya vācakāñ chabdān vedān sasmāra tatpure || 52.7 ||

Translation

પછી તે નગરમાં નિવાસ કરતાં મહાન રાજા પશુપાલરૂપે રહી, સૂચક શબ્દો દ્વારા સંકેત આપી, ત્યાં જ વેદોનું સ્મરણ કર્યું.

Word by Word

• tatas: then

• tat-pura-saṃsthaḥ: situated/residing in that city

• tu: and/indeed

• paśu-pālaḥ: cattle-keeper/herdsman

• mahān: great

• nṛpaḥ: king

• saṃsūcya: having indicated/signaled

• vācakān: expressive/denotative (words)

• chabdān: sounds/words

• vedān: the Vedas

• sasmāra: remembered/recalled

• tat-pure: in that city

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in this fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"Even when occupying a pastoral role, the ruler preserves śruti through proper cues (vācaka-śabda) and recollection/recitation, sustaining dharma in the community.","karmic_consequence":"Maintenance of Vedic memory supports social order and merit; neglect leads to dharma-kṣaya and loss of royal legitimacy."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Veda as ‘remembered’ (smṛti-like function) within a king-cowherd figure hints that dharma is upheld by inner realization rather than external station—an echo of yajña upheld by the presiding consciousness.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"Śruti is nitya; ‘sasmāra vedān’ gestures to the doctrine of eternal Veda accessed by purified intellect (buddhi) and saṃskāra."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"epistemology/śruti","core_concept":"True knowledge can be reawakened through right ‘indicators’ (saṅketa/vācaka) and saṃskāra; memory becomes a vehicle of revelation.","practical_application":"Use disciplined prompts—mantra openings, key pādas, teacher-given cues—to restore learning; keep daily recitation even amid occupational change."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Classical Narrative","Vedic Memory/Transmission","Kingship and Social Roles"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: urban residence within narrative

Cross References

Related Themes: 52.52.8 (vrata/niyama/kratu performance as continuation of Vedic life)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cowherd-king in a city courtyard gestures to reciters/learners with cue-words; the atmosphere suggests Vedic chanting being reconstituted in an unlikely setting.","item_prompts":["cowherd staff and simple garments on a regal figure","palm-leaf manuscripts or recitation posture","students/reciters attentive","city courtyard or assembly hall","subtle sound-waves/chant motif"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: seated cowherd-king with dignified face, hand in teaching mudrā, students in rows; stylized chant ribbons; warm temple-like palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central teacher-king with gold halo, ornate but restrained; embossed manuscripts; symmetrical student arrangement; rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined classroom-like sabhā, delicate gestures indicating ‘vācaka’ cues; soft illumination on the teacher’s face.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate teaching scene in a palace-courtyard, lyrical students, light architectural detailing, emphasis on narrative charm."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative didactic narrative","suggested_raga":"Śrī","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"measured, articulate, with crisp enunciation of technical terms"}

Tags

• Varāha Purāṇa
• Sanskrit Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vedic Tradition

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic narrative motif in which royal identity and social role (here, a king as a cattle-keeper) coexist, while emphasizing the cultural prestige of Vedic recollection and verbal cues in transmission.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse refers only to “that city” (tatpura/tatpure) without naming a specific place; a precise modern identification cannot be made from this fragment alone.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

A philosophical instruction implied here is the valuation of learning and disciplined memory (smṛti) of authoritative knowledge, regardless of one’s outward social function at a given moment.