Varaha Purana 162.45: Adhyaya 162, Shloka 45
The Efficacy and Merit of Cakra-tīrtha
चक्रतीर्थं समासाद्य स्नानं स कुरुते सदा ॥ न भिक्षां कुरुते तत्र भोजनार्थं न गच्छति ॥
cakratīrthaṃ samāsādya snānaṃ sa kurute sadā || na bhikṣāṃ kurute tatra bhojanārthaṃ na gacchati
チャクラティールタに至ると、彼は常にそこで沐浴を行い、その地で乞食もせず、食を求めて出歩くこともしなかった。
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Cakratīrtha","parikrama_context":"Bathing at a named tīrtha functions as a fixed devotional station often included in local tīrtha-cakra/parikramā circuits, though parikramā is not explicit here.","krishna_connection":"Cakra (Viṣṇu’s discus) anticipates Vaiṣṇava sacrality later central in Mathurā-Vraja; indirect foreshadowing of Kṛṣṇa’s region as Viṣṇu’s own field."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Maintain disciplined tīrtha-practice: constant bathing and austerity, avoiding begging and food-seeking as part of expiatory restraint.","karmic_consequence":"Steady niyama at a tīrtha supports purification and mental steadiness; breaking discipline (greed/begging/indulgence) undermines prāyaścitta efficacy."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"sādhana (discipline)","core_concept":"Purification is sustained practice—regularity (nitya-snāna) plus restraint (non-begging, non-seeking).","practical_application":"Adopt a consistent daily practice at a chosen sacred/quiet place; pair ritual acts with ethical restraint and simplicity."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Ethics","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vairāgya
Type: tīrtha / bathing ghat
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 162.51–52 (household support enabling the ascetic’s discipline)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At Cakratīrtha, an austere man repeatedly bathes; he refuses alms and does not go out for food, living in strict restraint by the water’s edge.","item_prompts":["river/pond ghat","disc (cakra) emblem on a shrine/stone","ascetic with wet cloth","water pot (kamaṇḍalu)","quiet dawn light"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: serene ghat with stylized waves, small cakra emblem shrine, ascetic in repeated snāna posture, muted devotional palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: cakra emblem highlighted with gold, luminous water surface, ascetic figure centered, ornate arch framing the tīrtha.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: soft dawn ambience, detailed ghat steps, calm facial expression, emphasis on restraint and stillness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical riverscape, minimal architecture, cakra symbol on a rock, narrative calm with cool tones."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"austere and contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"calm, restrained, even"}
FAQs
It illustrates how tīrthas are narrated as sites for disciplined practice (snāna, restraint), contributing to the Purāṇic mapping of sacred space.
Cakratīrtha is named; in broader North Indian traditions, such names often attach to bathing-ghāṭs or sacred water-sites associated with Mathurā-region tīrtha networks.
The verse highlights self-restraint: maintaining practice without resorting to begging or seeking food in that locale.
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