Varaha Purana 176.71 — Adhyaya 176, Shloka 71
The Māhātmya of Kṛṣṇagaṅgodbhava, Kāliñjara, and the Five Sacred Baths: The Tale of Pāñcāla and Tilottamā
नष्टा पृथ्वी न लभ्येत तस्माद्देवात्तु कोऽधिकः ॥ सोऽत्र तीर्थपरित्राणं कुर्वन्देवः स्वयं प्रभुः
naṣṭā pṛthvī na labhyeta tasmād devāt tu ko'dhikaḥ || so'tra tīrthaparitrāṇaṃ kurvan devaḥ svayaṃ prabhuḥ
បើផែនដីបាត់បង់ទៅ នោះមិនអាចរកបានវិញទេ; ដូច្នេះអ្នកណាអាចលើសលប់ជាងទេវតានោះ? នៅទីនេះ ព្រះអម្ចាស់—ជាទេវៈដោយព្រះអង្គឯង—កំពុងប្រតិបត្តិដើម្បីការពារទីរថៈ (កន្លែងឆ្លងទឹកបរិសុទ្ធ)។
Varāha (contextual default; speaker not explicitly marked in this verse)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"cosmic_power","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Implied guardianship of Bhū through safeguarding her tīrthas; protection of Earth’s sacred geography as her ‘body’."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Protecting and maintaining tīrthas is presented as a supreme divine duty and an ethical imperative grounded in Earth’s irreplaceability.","karmic_consequence":"Upholding tīrtha-protection aligns one with the Lord’s preserving act; neglect implies complicity in loss of dharma and sacred order."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Earth’s non-recoverability underscores the avatāra as cosmic preserver; tīrthas function as ‘nodes’ of ṛta/dharma on Bhū, which the Lord stabilizes.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"Īśvara as jagat-kāraṇa and dharma-saṃsthāpaka: the world is dependent (āśrita) and the Lord is independent (svatantra), hence ‘none greater’ in preserving Bhū and her sacred order."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of preservation (dharma-saṃrakṣaṇa)","core_concept":"Bhū is irreplaceable; therefore the supreme Lord’s protective action is the highest good and model for human ethics.","practical_application":"Treat sacred places and ecological/cultural heritage as non-substitutable; support conservation, tīrtha-sevā, and non-desecration as dharma."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Heritage Sites","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: sacred network / pilgrimage sites
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Bhū-Varāha saṃvāda framing of tīrtha-mahātmyas (general)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cosmic tableau where the Lord’s unseen presence ‘guards’ a landscape of tīrthas—rivers, ghāṭas, and shrines—implying Earth’s fragility and sanctity.","item_prompts":["panoramic sacred landscape","river ford (tīrtha) with steps","small shrines and pilgrims","protective divine aura over Earth","inscription-like banner: ‘tīrtha-paritrāṇa’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: broad sacred landscape with stylized rivers and ghāṭas; Vishnu/Varaha’s protective aura as a luminous mandala above; earthy reds/ochres, clear linework.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central golden prabhā around the Lord’s protective presence; foreground tīrtha-ghāṭa with lamps; heavy gold-leaf highlights on shrines and river edge.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined landscape with delicate shading; pilgrims at a tīrtha; subtle divine presence indicated by haloed cloud-form above the river.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: Himalayan-like layered hills and a winding river tīrtha; small temples; the Lord’s protection shown as a hovering luminous cloud/mandala."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverential and declarative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, awe-inflected, didactic"}
FAQs
It articulates a Purāṇic rationale for preserving tīrthas as cultural-ritual heritage, linking the continuity of Earth with the continuity of sacred geography.
No specific site-name is given in this verse; it refers broadly to tīrthas (pilgrimage fords/sacred places).
The verse emphasizes stewardship: the safeguarding of Earth and its sacred places is presented as a central responsibility within the narrative logic.
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