Varaha Purana - Adhyaya 178
Varaha PuranaAdhyaya 1788 Shlokas

Adhyaya 178: Ritual Observance for Reciting the Deeds of Śatrughna (Remembrance of the Slaying of Lavaṇa)

Śatrughnacarita-śravaṇa-vidhiḥ (Lavaṇāsura-vadha-smaraṇam)

Ritual-Manual (Vratavidhi) with Itihāsa-Allusion

Varaha, sebagai pengajar utama yang menanggapi minat Pṛthivī pada perbuatan berpahala, menjelaskan bahwa mengingat kisah suci pun terkait dengan kemanjuran ritual. Bab ini mengenang bagaimana Śatrughna dahulu membinasakan Lavaṇāsura yang dahsyat, digambarkan sebagai sosok ganas pemakan makanan (annam-ugra), dan ditegaskan bahwa tindakan itu dilakukan demi anugerah bagi para brāhmaṇa (dvijānugraha). Lalu ditetapkan tata cara seperti vrata: pada dvādaśī bulan Mārgaśīrṣa hendaknya berpuasa dengan kemurnian serta melafalkan/menjalankan kisah Śatrughna; pada ekādaśī sebelumnya melakukan upavāsa, mandi suci, mengadakan mahotsava bersama keluarga, kemudian memberi makan dan memuaskan para brāhmaṇa dengan hidangan yang disiapkan. Buahnya adalah lepas dari dosa, sukacita bersama para leluhur (pitṛ), dan tinggal lama di svarga.

Speakers

VarāhaPṛthivī

Key Concepts

dvijānugraha (supporting brāhmaṇas as social-ethical order)vrata/upavāsa (ritual fasting discipline)tithi-regulated observance (ekādaśī/dvādaśī timing)mahotsava (public/familial festival as social cohesion)brāhmaṇa-tarpaṇa/bhojana (feeding as merit economy)pāpavinirmukti (sin-removal soteriology)pitṛ-sambandha (ancestral continuity and memory)itihāsa-smaraṇa as ritual technology (narrative recitation as praxis)
Recitation with translationVaraha Purana Adhyaya 178

Shlokas in Adhyaya 178

Verse 1

श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ शत्रुघ्नेन पुरा घोरो लवणः सूदितो यथा ॥ द्विजानुग्रहकामार्थमन्नमुग्रस्वरूपिणम् ॥

Śrī Varāha bersabda: “Bagaimana dahulu Śatrughna membunuh Lavaṇa yang ganas, dan bagaimana demi menganugerahi para dvija, makanan menampakkan diri dalam rupa yang mengerikan—akan Kuceritakan.”

Verse 2

द्वादश्यां मार्गशीर्षस्य उपोष्य नियतः शुचिः ॥ यः करोति वरारोहे शत्रुघ्नचरितं यथा ॥

Pada hari Dvādaśī di bulan Mārgaśīrṣa, setelah berpuasa, berdisiplin dan suci—wahai yang berpinggul elok, siapa pun yang melaksanakan/melantunkan kisah suci Śatrughna menurut tata cara yang ditetapkan—

Verse 3

द्विजानां प्रीणनं कृत्वा स्वधान्नपटुभोजनैः ॥ लवणस्य वधादेव शत्रुघ्नस्य शरीरिके ॥

Setelah memuaskan para dvija (dua kali lahir) dengan santapan bergizi yang disiapkan dari bekal sendiri—hal ini terkait tepat dengan pembinasaan Lavaṇa dalam kisah Śatrughna yang berwujud jasmani.

Verse 4

हर्षस्तु सुमहान्जातो रामस्याक्लिष्टकर्मणः ॥ अयोध्यायाः समायातो रामः सबलवाहनः ॥

Sukacita yang amat besar timbul dalam diri Rāma, yang perbuatannya tak mengenal lelah. Rāma datang dari Ayodhyā bersama bala tentaranya dan kendaraan-kendaraannya.

Verse 5

महोत्सवं च कर्तुं स शत्रुघ्नस्य महात्मनः ॥ सीतामाग्रहणीं प्राप्य मथुरां लवणान्तकः ॥

Dan ia berangkat untuk menyelenggarakan mahotsava, perayaan agung, bagi Śatrughna yang berhati luhur. Setelah mencapai Sītāmāgrahaṇī, sang pembinasah Lavaṇa melanjutkan perjalanan menuju Mathurā.

Verse 6

एकादश्यां सोपवासः स्नात्वा विश्रान्तिसंज्ञके ॥ कृत्वा महोत्सवं तत्र कुटुम्बसहितः पुरा ॥

Pada hari Ekādaśī, sambil berpuasa, setelah mandi suci di tempat bernama Viśrānti, dahulu ia menyelenggarakan perayaan agung di sana bersama seisi keluarganya.

Verse 7

तस्मिन्मुक्त्वा यथाकामं ब्राह्मणान्वै प्रतर्प्य च ॥ तस्मिन्नहनि तत्रैव यः कुर्यात्स महोत्सवम् ॥

Di tempat itu, setelah memberikan sedekah sesuai kehendak dan memuaskan para brāhmaṇa menurut tata cara, siapa pun yang pada hari itu juga menyelenggarakan mahotsava (perayaan agung) di sana—itulah laku yang ditetapkan.

Verse 8

सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः पितृभिः सह मोदते ॥ स्वर्गलोके चिरं कालं यावत्स्थित्यन्तजन्मनः ॥

Terbebas dari segala dosa, ia bersukacita bersama para leluhur (pitṛ), dan tinggal lama di alam surga—hingga genap masa yang ditentukan bagi kelahiran itu (di sana).

Inside Adhyaya 178

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Varāha addresses Pṛthivī in a prescriptive mode, presenting merit (puṇya) as attainable through disciplined observance that fuses itihāsa-smaraṇa (narrative remembrance) with vrata-like regulation and dvijānugraha (support of brāhmaṇas).

  2. Central event

    The chapter recalls Śatrughna’s slaying of the fierce, food-devouring Lavaṇa—explicitly framed as an act done for the favor and welfare of brāhmaṇas—and then converts that remembrance into a calendrically fixed rite: ekādaśī preparation followed by dvādaśī fasting and recitation/celebration of Śatrughna’s deeds.

  3. Climax resolution

    The ritual sequence culminates in a family-inclusive mahotsava and the feeding/satiation of brāhmaṇas with prepared foods, sealing the rite’s efficacy by transforming restrained consumption (upavāsa) into righteous redistribution (bhojana/tarpaṇa).

  4. Closing phalashruti

    Phala is stated as pāpavinirmukti (release from sins), joy/companionship with the pitṛs (ancestral satisfaction and continuity), and prolonged residence in svarga (heavenly enjoyment).

Geographical context

Ayodhyā; Mathurā; (implied) Lavaṇāntaka’s sphere of action associated with Mathurā; Mārgaśīrṣa (seasonal-lunar calendric context rather than a location).

Tirtha focus

  • Associated RegionMathurā region (implied by Lavaṇa/Lavaṇāntaka association) and Ayodhyā (epic-cultural frame)
  • Pilgrimage MeritNot framed as a tirtha-māhātmya; merit accrues primarily through tithi-bound vrata, itihāsa-recitation, and dvija-bhojana rather than through bathing at a named sacred ford.

Ritual instructions

  • Primary RitualMārgaśīrṣa-dvādaśī Śatrughna-carita-smaraṇa/paṭhana with ekādaśī upavāsa, śauca, mahotsava, and brāhmaṇa-bhojana.
  • BenefitRemoval of sins, ancestral satisfaction and joy with pitṛs, and long residence in svarga; additionally, the rite models regulated appetite and righteous food-distribution as social-ethical order.

The narrative frame

  • VarāhaPṛthivī · Didactic and prescriptive (vrata-vidhi), using itihāsa allusion as ritual authorization.

The emotional journey

  • Dominant RasaŚānta (devotional-didactic calm) with a secondary Vīra (heroic remembrance)
  • Emotional ProgressionFrom moral instruction and social duty → heroic recollection of Lavaṇa’s defeat → inward purification through fasting → outward generosity through feeding brāhmaṇas → settled assurance of ancestral and heavenly reward.

Planning a pilgrimage

  • Visit FeasibilityModerate: the chapter is not a tirtha guide, but practitioners may align observance with visits to Ayodhyā/Mathurā as supportive sacred geographies; the core practice remains home/temple-based with brāhmaṇa-feeding.
  • Best SeasonMārgaśīrṣa (typically Nov–Dec) aligned to ekādaśī–dvādaśī observance; climate also favorable for North Indian travel.
  • Modern Location NameAyodhya (Uttar Pradesh) and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)
  • Related FestivalMārgaśīrṣa śukla ekādaśī/dvādaśī observances (Vaiṣṇava ekādaśī cycle); locally, Mathurā’s broader Kārttika–Mārgaśīrṣa devotional season can contextualize the rite.

Frequently Asked Questions

The text frames ethical order through dvijānugraha: merit is generated by disciplined fasting, narrative remembrance, and materially sustaining learned communities via brāhmaṇa-feeding. Social reciprocity (supporting custodians of learning), ancestral continuity (pitṛ association), and self-regulation (niyama, śauca) are presented as the core moral-ritual logic.

The observance is anchored in Mārgaśīrṣa: fasting/recitation is prescribed on dvādaśī, with a preparatory ekādaśī upavāsa, bathing (snāna), and a mahotsava conducted in that temporal window.

While not explicitly ecological, the chapter implicitly ties terrestrial well-being to regulated consumption and redistribution of food (anna): the narrative contrasts a destructive, food-devouring force with a social practice of feeding and ritual restraint. Read through Pṛthivī-centered ethics, it models governance of appetite and communal provisioning as stabilizing forces for life on Earth.

Śatrughna is central, with Rāma referenced as returning to Ayodhyā and participating in celebratory framing. Lavaṇa appears as the antagonist whose death is commemorated. Mathurā and the epithet Lavaṇāntaka locate Śatrughna within a recognizable North Indian epic-cultural geography.

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