Varaha Purana 71.63 — Adhyaya 71, Shloka 63
Vision of the Trimūrti in Rudra, the Gautama Curse, the Manifestation of the Godāvarī, and the Niḥśvāsa-saṃhitā Account
एतद्वः कथितं विप्रा मया धर्मस्य लक्षणम् । एतस्माद्विपरीतो यः स पाषण्डरतो भवेत् ॥ ७१.६३ ॥
etad vaḥ kathitaṃ viprā mayā dharmasya lakṣaṇam | etasmād viparīto yaḥ sa pāṣaṇḍarato bhavet || 71.63 ||
હે વિપ્રો, મેં તમને ધર્મનું લક્ષણ કહ્યું છે. જે આથી વિપરીત વર્તે છે તે પાષંડમાં આસક્ત બને છે.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
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":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Dharma has a definable lakṣaṇa; acting contrary to it leads to pāṣaṇḍa—deceitful/heterodox religiosity.","karmic_consequence":"Deviation from dharma’s defining mark results in pāṣaṇḍa-rati (attachment to false paths), implying spiritual fall and loss of right conduct and right view."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Varāha as the stabilizer of dharma: just as he ‘lifts’ Earth from disorder, he ‘lifts’ the tradition by defining dharma’s lakṣaṇa and warning against pāṣaṇḍa (adharma masquerading as dharma).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"Right view (samyag-dṛṣṭi) and right conduct as prerequisites for liberation; pāṣaṇḍa as viparyaya/avidyā that blocks apavarga."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma-lakṣaṇa and critique of pseudo-dharma","core_concept":"Dharma is not merely label or ritual; it has a recognizable criterion, and inversion of that criterion produces pāṣaṇḍa (false religiosity).","practical_application":"Test practices/teachings against dharma’s defining marks (truthfulness, non-harm, śāstra-consistency, guru-paramparā integrity); avoid performative or exploitative ‘religion’."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Dharma-shastra discourse","Philosophical instruction"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: teaching assembly (implied)
Related Themes: 71.71.60; 71.71.61
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha addressing a circle of brāhmaṇa sages, defining dharma and pointing out the danger of pāṣaṇḍa as a shadow-path diverging from the true way.","item_prompts":["Varāha in teaching posture","brāhmaṇa sages seated with kuśa grass and waterpots","a clear ‘straight path’ vs a crooked ‘shadow path’ motif","scripture/palm-leaf manuscripts","gesture indicating ‘this is the mark (lakṣaṇa)’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: frontal Varāha with authoritative calm; sages in symmetrical arrangement; stylized bifurcating path motif behind; rich but disciplined color blocks.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Varāha with gold-leaf halo and ornate throne; sages with minimal faces; include embossed manuscript and path motif; emphasize didactic centrality.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined classroom-like assembly; delicate hand gestures; subtle background showing diverging paths; warm, polished finish.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate satsanga under a tree; Varāha pointing to a forked path in a gentle landscape; fine detailing of ascetic items and attentive faces."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, clarifying","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, measured, slightly admonitory on 'viparīto yaḥ'"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic strategy of defining dharma through authoritative instruction and contrasting it with pāṣaṇḍa, indicating intra-traditional debates about legitimate practice and ethical norms in classical Sanskrit literature.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal-ethical statement rather than a tīrtha or sacred-geography passage.
The verse asserts that dharma has identifiable characteristics and that conduct opposed to those characteristics leads to pāṣaṇḍa—framed here as deviation into heterodox or misleading forms of religiosity.
Ask anything about this verse
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