Varaha Purana 137.151: Adhyaya 137, Shloka 151
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-Māhātmya (Sacred Geography) / Named Tīrtha
तस्य पूर्वेण पार्श्वेन तीर्थं गृध्रवटं स्मृतम्॥ यत्राकामो मृतो गृध्रो मानुषत्वमुपागतः॥
tasya pūrveṇa pārśvena tīrthaṃ gṛdhravaṭaṃ smṛtam || yatrākāmo mṛto gṛdhro mānuṣatvam upāgataḥ ||
tasya pUrveNa pArshvena tIrthaM gRRidhravaTaM smRRitam || yatrAkAmo mRRito gRRidhro mAnuShatvamupAgataH
इस जगह के पूरव तरफ एक तीर्थ है, जिसे गृध्रवट कहते हैं। वहाँ एक गिद्ध मरा था, बिना मारे जाने। वो फिर इंसान बन गया।
Sandhi Notes
- yatrākāmaḥ ← yatra + akāmaḥ
- mānuṣatvam upāgataḥ (no sandhi in IAST)
Varāha
Conflicted, emotionally restrained
How can one speak a difficult truth when the heart is churning—what is the right balance between obligation to answer and inner hesitation?
Truth is obligatory when properly requested, but speech must be governed by inner discernment; the heart’s agitation signals the need for careful articulation.
Before answering sensitive questions, pause, steady the mind, and speak truth in a way that is beneficial (hita) and timely, not merely compelled.
One should answer what is rightly asked (especially by a proper interlocutor), yet truthful speech may require inner readiness and careful expression when emotions churn.
Speaking responsibly sustains satya and relational dharma; suppressing necessary truth can prolong inner turmoil and ethical tension, while rash speech can cause harm—implying the need for measured truthfulness.
Varāha Purāṇa 137.56 (dialogue tension point before disclosure)
FAQs
It records a specific tīrtha-name (Gṛdhravaṭa) and an etiological story, both of which are key for building searchable gazetteers and motif indexes in a digital Purāṇa repository.
Gṛdhravaṭa tīrtha is identified, situated ‘on the eastern side’ of the referenced kṣetra. Modern identification remains uncertain without additional contextual verses and regional correlates.
By embedding animal life within sacred-landscape narratives, the text supports a cultural ethic of recognizing non-human beings as part of heritage landscapes (an ecological sensitivity expressed through mythic idiom).
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