Varaha Purana 65.10 — Adhyaya 65, Shloka 10

The Sovereignty Vow and the Cycle of Tithi-Based Observances

Devanagari script

इन्दुव्रतं पञ्चदश्यां शुक्लायां नक्तभोजनम् । पितृव्रतममावास्यामिति राजन् तथेरितम् ॥ ६५.१० ॥

Transliteration

induvrataṁ pañcadaśyāṁ śuklāyāṁ naktabhojanam | pitṛvratam amāvāsyām iti rājan tatheritam || 65.10 ||

Translation

「インドゥ・ヴラタ（Indu-vrata）は白分の第十五日（満月日）に、夜のみ食して修すべきである。ピトリ・ヴラタ（Pitṛ-vrata）はアマーヴァースヤー（Amāvāsyā、新月日）に行う」—王よ、かく説き示された。

Word by Word

• indu-vratam: Indu-vrata (moon vow)
• indu-vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indu (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘moon-vow’

• pañcadaśyām: on the fifteenth (lunar day)
• pañcadaśyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcadaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th), Singular

• śuklāyām: in the bright (phase)
• śuklāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuklā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th), Singular; adjective with implied tithi/pakṣa

• nakta-bhojanam: eating at night
• nakta-bhojanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakta (प्रातिपदिक) + bhojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘night-eating/meal at night’

• pitṛ-vratam: Pitṛ-vrata (vow for ancestors)
• pitṛ-vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘ancestral vow’

• amāvāsyām: on new-moon day
• amāvāsyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th), Singular

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha/Quotation marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular

• tathā: so/thus
• tathā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• īritam: is declared/has been said
• īritam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īrita (प्रातिपदिक; √īr ‘to declare’ PPP)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; PPP (क्त) used predicatively ‘has been stated’

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None (instruction to king; Varāha as ritual-calendar authority)."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"Implicit: what are the definitions (tithi and diet rule) of Indu-vrata and Pitṛ-vrata?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None explicit; Pitṛ-vrata resonates with ancestral rites but not Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa."}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Indu-vrata: on śukla-pakṣa pañcadaśī with night-only eating; Pitṛ-vrata: on amāvāsyā (new moon) as stated to the king.","karmic_consequence":"Indu-vrata yields lunar/saumya merit (implied by name); Pitṛ-vrata supports pitṛ-tarpaṇa/ancestral satisfaction and related merit; neglect implies deprivation of those merits (implied)."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Indu-vrata; Pitṛ-vrata","tithi_month":"Indu-vrata: śukla pañcadaśī (Pūrṇimā); Pitṛ-vrata: Amāvāsyā; month not specified here","promised_fruit":"Not explicitly stated; implied: auspiciousness, purity, and pitṛ-prīti (ancestral satisfaction) according to vrata logic."}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ṛṇa-traya awareness","core_concept":"Dharma includes regulated observances honoring cosmic rhythms (moon) and obligations to ancestors (pitṛ-ṛṇa).","practical_application":"Observe night-meal discipline on Pūrṇimā as Indu-vrata; keep Amāvāsyā as Pitṛ-vrata with ancestral orientation."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Observances","Calendrical Practice"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: karuṇā (toward pitṛs)

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 65.65.9 (Raudra-vrata timing); Varāha Purāṇa 65.65.11 (long-term fruits of tithi-vratas)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A calendrical teaching scene: Varāha defines two vows—one tied to the full moon with night-only eating, and one tied to the new moon for ancestors.","item_prompts":["Varāha instructing a king","two lunar discs: full moon (15) and new moon (dark)","night-meal bowl motif","pitṛ symbols: offering water (tarpana) vessel, kusa grass (subtle)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: split-panel composition—left Pūrṇimā (bright full moon) with ‘nakta’ motif, right Amāvāsyā (dark moon) with tarpana vessel; Varāha teaching centrally.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold relief full-moon medallion and dark new-moon medallion; Varāha with ornate halo; king receiving instruction; include a small silver-like water pot for pitṛ offerings.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined lunar iconography; gentle chiaroscuro for night; Varāha as calm guru; minimal but clear pitṛ-offering implements.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic night courtyard; full moon and new moon shown in separate sky vignettes; delicate ancestor-offering scene element (water libation) near the king."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Calm, ritual-definitional","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"Medium","voice_tone":"Even, explanatory, slightly softened on ‘pitṛ’"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Dharma-śāstra Interface

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects Purāṇic cataloguing of vrata-practices aligned to the lunar calendar, illustrating how ritual observances were systematized and transmitted in classical Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is specified in this verse; it focuses on calendrical timing (bright fifteenth day and new-moon day) rather than sacred topography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse outlines disciplined observance through regulated timing and dietary restraint (nakta-bhojana), presenting self-control and remembrance of ancestors as key cultural-philosophical themes.