Varaha Purana 140.95 — Adhyaya 140, Shloka 95
The Greatness of Kokāmukha (Badarī): Varāha’s Hidden Abode and the Sacred Waters
दंष्ट्राङ्कुरेति विख्यातं यत्र कोका विनिःसृता ॥ एतद्गुह्यं न जानन्ति यतो मुञ्चन्ति जन्तवः ॥
daṃṣṭrāṅkureti vikhyātaṃ yatra kokā viniḥsṛtā | etad guhyaṃ na jānanti yato muñcanti jantavaḥ ||
その地は「ダンシュトラーンクラ（Daṃṣṭrāṅkura）」として知られ、そこからコーカー（Kokā）が現れ出た。生きとし生けるものはこの秘事を知らぬゆえ、そこで命の息を手放す。
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"Implicit via toponym: ‘Daṃṣṭrāṅkura’ evokes Varāha’s daṃṣṭrā (tusk) and its ‘sprout/point’ (aṅkura)","earth_interaction":"Varāha reveals a secret etymology/toponym to Bhū-devī, explaining why beings die there due to ignorance of the guhya."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, learning hidden sacred etymologies","key_question":"What is the hidden identity/secret (guhya) of this place and why do beings relinquish life there?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Daṃṣṭrāṅkura (a named sacred spot within Mathurā-maṇḍala)","parikrama_context":"Functions as a named station in a sacred-geography itinerary; knowledge of its ‘guhya’ is part of proper pilgrimage understanding.","krishna_connection":"Indirect: Mathurā sacred toponymy later becomes central in Kṛṣṇa-līlā mapping; here the naming is Varāha-linked rather than Kṛṣṇa-linked."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Know and honor the secret sanctity of Daṃṣṭrāṅkura; ignorance leads beings to die there without grasping the salvific meaning.","karmic_consequence":"Right knowledge (tīrtha-māhātmya-jñāna) is implied to convert the event of death into a purposeful, liberating act; ignorance yields loss of that benefit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Toponymic symbolism: Varāha’s tusk becomes a cosmic ‘support-point’ that marks a salvific locus on Earth; the divine body imprints geography, turning space into a ritual instrument.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Daṃṣṭrā (tusk) as a yūpa-like marker/pillar; ‘aṅkura’ as the emergent point where sacred power ‘sprouts’ into the world as a tīrtha.","vedantic_connection":"Embodied divinity sanctifies prakṛti; knowledge (jñāna) of the sacred reality behind names transforms one’s passage (including death) from mere event to mokṣa-oriented transition."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"name-form-and-sacred-knowledge","core_concept":"Sacred geography is not merely physical; it is intelligible through guhya (hidden meaning). Ignorance obscures liberation even in holy places.","practical_application":"Study kṣetra-māhātmya and approach pilgrimage with śraddhā and understanding; treat place-names as carriers of theological memory."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Mythology"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: named tīrtha/spot with etymological sanctity
Related Themes: 140.140.8 (death there leads to Varāha-loka when established in his rite)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sacred spot labeled ‘Daṃṣṭrāṅkura’ with a tusk-like rock formation or sprouting stone; Varāha explains the secret while pilgrims pass unaware, some depicted as fainting/dying to show the verse’s gravity.","item_prompts":["tusk-shaped stone/rock","inscription ‘Daṃṣṭrāṅkura’","Varāha teaching gesture","Bhū-devī attentive","pilgrims unaware","subtle emergence motif for ‘Kokā’ (as a figure/stream/creature)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized tusk-rock with decorative contours; Varāha and Bhū-devī in formal dialogue; background figures in muted tones to show ignorance.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central tusk-emblem with gold; Varāha with ornate crown; Bhū-devī beside; small narrative panels showing ‘Kokā’ emerging and pilgrims unaware.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: detailed landscape and inscription; restrained depiction of mortality; emphasis on the sacred etymology through visual symbol (tusk-rock).","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic rocky outcrop like a tusk; delicate figures; narrative clarity with minimal drama; emphasis on ‘secret place-name’ as caption-like element."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"mysterious, revelatory","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"low, confidential, emphatic on ‘guhyam’"}
FAQs
It provides an etiological explanation for a toponym (Daṃṣṭrāṅkura), a key mechanism by which Purāṇas encode cultural memory into landscapes.
Daṃṣṭrāṅkura is named as the spot associated with Kokā’s emergence; its modern identification remains indeterminate without external corroboration.
The verse underscores the idea that knowledge (jñāna) of a site’s ‘secret’ meaning is portrayed as significant—framing heritage as something learned and transmitted.
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