Varaha Purana 42.3 — Adhyaya 42, Shloka 3
Ritual Procedure for the Phālguna Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī Narasiṃha Worship, with the Narrative of King Vatsa
कण्ठं तु शितिकण्ठाय पिङ्गकेशाय वै शिरः । असुरध्वंसनायेति चक्रं तोयात्मने तथा । शङ्खमित्येव सम्पूज्य गन्धपुष्पफलैस्तथा ॥ ४२.३ ॥
kaṇṭhaṃ tu śitikaṇṭhāya piṅgakeśāya vai śiraḥ | asuradhvaṃsanāyeti cakraṃ toyātmane tathā | śaṅkhamityeva sampūjya gandhapuṣpaphalaistathā || 42.3 ||
Tenggorokan dipuja bagi Śitikaṇṭha, dan kepala bagi Piṅgakeśa; cakra dengan mantra “bagi penghancur para asura,” dan śaṅkha dengan mantra “bagi Toyātman”—semuanya dipuja dengan wewangian, bunga, dan buah-buahan.
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Vaiṣṇava iconography (cakra-śaṅkha) and epithets; no explicit Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa narrative."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Continue aṅga/āyudha-pūjā: worship throat as Śitikaṇṭha, head as Piṅgakeśa; worship cakra as ‘asura-dhvaṃsana’ and śaṅkha as Toyātman, offering gandha-puṣpa-phala.","karmic_consequence":"Proper honoring of limbs and weapons with offerings completes pūjā and accrues merit; omission diminishes completeness of worship (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Hari-pūjā with aṅga-nyāsa and āyudha-pūjā (as part of the Dvādaśī observance)","tithi_month":"Phālguna māsa, śukla pakṣa, dvādaśī (by continuity)","promised_fruit":"Implied: protection (asura-dhvaṃsana), purification (toyātman), and devotional merit through complete pūjā with offerings."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Āyudhas (cakra, śaṅkha) are not mere weapons but principles: cakra as dharma-protecting time/order that destroys adharma; śaṅkha as purifying waters/sound that sanctifies rites—integrating cosmology into daily worship.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Offerings (gandha, puṣpa, phala) mirror yajña-upacāras; cakra as ‘asura-dhvaṃsana’ = removal of obstructive forces in ritual; śaṅkha as Toyātman = consecratory water-vessel principle used in abhiṣeka/ācamanīya contexts.","vedantic_connection":"Names and implements point to functions of īśvara: niyantṛ (regulator) and pāvana (purifier). Contemplation of these functions refines the mind toward śānti and bhakti."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ritual theology (nāma–rūpa–guṇa contemplation)","core_concept":"Divine epithets encode functions: protection (cakra) and purification (śaṅkha/water); worship is contemplation enacted through offerings.","practical_application":"During pūjā, connect each upacāra to an inner meaning: offer fragrance/flowers/fruits as surrender of senses and results; invoke protective/purifying aspects when facing inner ‘asuras’ (anger, greed)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Iconography","Mantra/Formularies","Material Offerings"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: temple/household shrine ritual space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: continuation of the pūjā-vidhi in surrounding verses (further limb/weapon assignments and fruits)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Close-up ritual scene: devotee offers sandal paste, flowers, and fruits to Viṣṇu’s throat/head regions and to the cakra and śaṅkha placed on the altar, while reciting epithets.","item_prompts":["Viṣṇu icon with visible throat/head emphasis","cakra and śaṅkha on pedestal","gandha (sandal paste) bowl","flower garlands","fruit plate","incense/lamp","priest/devotee hand offering"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: richly ornamented Viṣṇu with prominent śaṅkha-cakra, devotee offering flowers and fruits; stylized ritual vessels and lamp.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf detailing on cakra and śaṅkha, ornate altar, bright offerings; embossed halo and arch.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant altar still-life with offerings, refined depiction of conch/discus, soft chiaroscuro from lamp.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate shrine interior, crisp depiction of offerings and implements, gentle devotional expressions."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"consecratory, protective","suggested_raga":"Kalyāṇi / Yaman (solemn-auspicious)","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"sonorous, careful articulation of epithets"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic-style ritual taxonomy: body-parts, divine epithets, and emblems (cakra, śaṅkha) are linked with short dedicatory formulas, reflecting how worship manuals integrated mantra cues with iconographic elements.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse; the content is primarily ritual and iconographic rather than a sacred-geography notice.
The verse emphasizes orderly, non-coercive ritual discipline: careful attribution of offerings and respectful, non-violent devotion expressed through fragrances, flowers, and fruits.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.