Varaha Purana 210.18 — Adhyaya 210, Shloka 18
Inquiry into Moral Agency (Karma) and Practical Means for the Dissolution of Sin: the Śiśumāra Contemplation
यथा यथा क्षयं याति ह्यशुभं पुरुषस्य वै ॥ तथा तथा शुभा बुद्धिर्मनुजस्य प्रवर्तते ॥
yathā yathā kṣayaṃ yāti hy aśubhaṃ puruṣasya vai || tathā tathā śubhā buddhir manujasya pravartate ||
ಪುರುಷನ ಅಶುಭ ತತ್ತ್ವವು ಯಥಾಯಥವಾಗಿ ಕ್ಷಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೋ, ತಥಾತಥವಾಗಿ ಮಾನವನಲ್ಲಿ ಶುಭಬುದ್ಧಿ ಉದಯಿಸಿ ಪ್ರವೃತ್ತವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ।
Varāha (default, speaker not explicitly marked in this verse)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-yoga / moral psychology","core_concept":"As a person’s aśubha (unwholesome tendencies/impurities) wanes, śubha-buddhi (wholesome discernment) naturally arises and becomes operative.","practical_application":"Cultivate habits that reduce aśubha (restraint, truthfulness, non-harm); track reduction of reactive impulses as the sign that buddhi is becoming sattvic."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Mental cultivation","Karma theory"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 210.21–24 (continuation on buddhi, karma, svarga/niraya)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as a serene teacher-figure explaining inner purification: dark smoke-like aśubha dissipates from a human heart-mind, while a clear luminous buddhi rises.","item_prompts":["seated divine instructor (Varāha implied)","human figure with heart/lotus-mind","dark mist fading (aśubha-kṣaya)","white-gold light emerging (śubha-buddhi)","scripture palm-leaf or rosary as teaching cue"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: calm teaching scene, warm earthy reds/ochres, stylized lotus-heart with fading dark aura and rising golden clarity; minimal background, ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central luminous buddhi as gold-leaf halo over the human figure; Varāha as dignified teacher with rich jewelry; aśubha shown as subdued dark enamel-like cloud at the base.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading; emphasis on the transition from shadow to light around the face/forehead (buddhi awakening).","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical hillside hermitage classroom; gentle pastel sky; aśubha as small dark swirl leaving the disciple, replaced by a pale aureole of insight."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative, instructive","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"steady, clear, reflective"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic ethical psychology in which moral purification is correlated with cognitive clarity, a theme shared across Dharma and Mokṣa-oriented Sanskrit literature.
No geographic location is identified in this verse.
As harmful tendencies decline, wholesome discernment naturally strengthens—suggesting a gradual ethical-cognitive transformation.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.