Varaha Purana 176.25 — Adhyaya 176, Shloka 25
The Māhātmya of Kṛṣṇagaṅgodbhava, Kāliñjara, and the Five Sacred Baths: The Tale of Pāñcāla and Tilottamā
किञ्चित्कालं समास्थाय तेनोक्तं हि प्रियां प्रति ॥ त्यक्ष्यामि हि प्रियान्प्राणान्यदि सत्यं न वक्ष्यति
kiñcit-kālaṃ samāsthāya tenoktaṃ hi priyāṃ prati || tyakṣyāmi hi priyān prāṇān yadi satyaṃ na vakṣyati
しばらく待ってから、彼は愛しい人に言った。「もし真実を語らぬなら、まことに私はこの尊い命の息を捨てよう。」
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"compassion","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"He uses an emotional ultimatum—threatening to abandon life if truth is not spoken—revealing intense attachment and urgency to restore moral clarity."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"pressured; the situation becomes emotionally charged","key_question":"Will truth be spoken under the weight of threatened self-harm, and is such pressure dharmically legitimate?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"Emotional coercion (threat of self-destruction) is a dangerous means to obtain truth; it may compel speech but violates the spirit of dharma.","karmic_consequence":"Using self-harm threats breeds fear and instability; truthful speech gained thus is tainted, and the coercer incurs demerit through himsā toward self/other."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"satya vs. upāya (means)","core_concept":"Ends (truth) do not automatically sanctify means; dharma requires that the method of eliciting truth avoid violence and coercion.","practical_application":"In conflict or counseling, avoid threats (even against oneself); instead use reassurance, patience, and principled boundaries to invite truthful disclosure."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative Dialogue"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: private dialogic space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 176.24–26 (progression: respectful inquiry → insistence → ultimatum)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha, eyes intense, speaks to his beloved with a grave vow-like threat: if she will not speak truth, he will abandon his prāṇas; the beloved recoils in shock and sorrow.","item_prompts":["Varāha’s raised hand in oath/resolve","the beloved’s startled, tearful expression","a visual symbol of prāṇa (fading lamp, departing breath as mist)","tight framing to heighten drama"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic facial expressions within stylized restraint; Varāha’s firm gesture, the woman’s sorrow; a dimming lamp motif; deep reds/browns for gravity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic central figures with gold halo; include a small lamp with diminishing flame; heavy ornamentation contrasted with somber mood.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: expressive eyes, subtle shading; capture the emotional ultimatum without exaggeration; subdued background.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate interior/grove scene; delicate depiction of tears; a small lamp or lotus closing to symbolize threatened life-breath."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave, urgent","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm, trembling with emotion"}
FAQs
It captures a dramatic idiom found across Sanskrit narrative traditions where truth is demanded through heightened emotional stakes.
No location is mentioned in this verse.
The verse centers on satya (truthfulness), while also documenting the problematic use of self-harm threats as pressure—useful for ethical-literary analysis rather than endorsement.
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