Varaha Purana 170.86 — Adhyaya 170, Shloka 86
The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship
including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics
यमुद्दिश्य व्रतं कुर्यात्स गच्छेत्परमां गतिम्॥ सङ्गमस्य फलं तस्य दृष्ट्वा गोकर्णमीश्वरम्॥
yam uddiśya vrataṃ kuryāt sa gacchet paramāṃ gatim॥ saṅgamasya phalaṃ tasya dṛṣṭvā gokarṇam īśvaram॥
「誰を念じ、そのために誓戒を行うなら、その者は最高の境地に至る。これがサンガマの果報である――尊き主ゴーカルナ（Gokarṇa）を拝見すること。」
Śabara (continuing)
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":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Gokarṇa (tīrtha/Īśvara at Gokarṇa) and Saṅgama (confluence)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Undertake the vow with a clear intended beneficiary (uddishya/saṅkalpa); the dedicated person attains the highest state through that act.","karmic_consequence":"Properly intentioned vow-dedication yields paramā gati for the intended recipient; reinforces saṅkalpa as karmically decisive."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Saṅgama-associated Dvādaśī-vrata (implied)","tithi_month":"Dvādaśī (month not specified)","promised_fruit":"Paramā gati (highest state) for the person for whom the vow is undertaken; plus the Saṅgama’s fruit linked with darśana of Gokarṇeśvara."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-bhakti integration","core_concept":"Saṅkalpa (intentional dedication) directs ritual merit; tīrtha-darśana and vrata together become a transferable salvific act.","practical_application":"When observing a vrata, explicitly dedicate it (uddishya) for a named person/ancestor; combine vow with tīrtha-darśana for intensified fruit."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites","Geography"]
Primary Rasa: shraddha
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tīrtha and īśvara-kṣetra (temple/linga site)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 170.94 (hearing the vow’s power); Varāha Purāṇa 170.96 (Viṣṇuloka; not going to Yama)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Śabara declares that a vow performed with someone in mind grants that person the highest state, and he points to the sacred culmination: beholding Gokarṇa-īśvara at the confluence.","item_prompts":["sage gesturing toward a shrine labeled Gokarṇa","confluence waters with pilgrims","darśana scene at temple/linga","vow tokens: tulasī, lamp, fasting devotee","a named beneficiary figure shown receiving light/merit"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: confluence in deep blues; Gokarṇa shrine with stylized linga; Śabara narrating; devotee in vrata posture; visual beam linking saṅkalpa to beneficiary.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf on temple arch and lamps; central Gokarṇa shrine; smaller panel of confluence; ornate depiction of vow implements.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined temple interior with soft lighting; emphasis on darśana moment; calm, devotional palette; detailed ornaments on shrine.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside/river confluence landscape; small temple by water; intimate darśana; narrative clarity with labeled figures (votary, beneficiary)."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional instruction with confident assurance","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"warm, declarative, slightly reverential on ‘Gokarṇam īśvaram’"}
FAQs
It links vow-performance (vrata) with intention (uddiśya) and the act of seeing a revered figure (darśana), a triad frequently used in Purāṇic pilgrimage-theology and narrative ethics.
Gokarṇa is named; in Indian cultural geography, Gokarṇa is commonly identified with a coastal pilgrimage town in present-day Karnataka, though Purāṇic references can reflect layered traditions.
Intention-centered practice: the efficacy of a vow is framed as connected to whom it is dedicated and the sincerity of purpose.
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