Varaha Purana 138.4 — Adhyaya 138, Shloka 4
The Episode of the Khañjarīṭa Bird
and the Saukarava Tīrtha’s Merit
पुनः पप्रच्छ तं देवं विस्मयाविष्टमानसा ॥ अहो तीर्थस्य माहात्म्यं क्षेत्रे सौकरवे तव।
punaḥ papraccha taṃ devaṃ vismayāviṣṭamānasā || aho tīrthasya māhātmyaṃ kṣetre saukarave tava
ອີກຄັ້ງ ດ້ວຍໃຈທີ່ເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍຄວາມພິສວົງ ນາງໄດ້ຖາມເທວະນັ້ນວ່າ: “ໂອ້! ມະຫາຕະມະຂອງຕີຣຖະນີ້ ໃນເຂດສັກສິດ ສໍາກາຣະວະຂອງທ່ານ ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ປານໃດ”
Pṛthivī (default inquirer framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Earth addresses him directly as ‘that deity’; relational reverence initiating instruction about his kṣetra"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"wonder-struck, inquisitive","key_question":"What is the greatness (māhātmya) of the tīrtha in your Saukārava sacred field?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Saukārava-kṣetra / Saukarava-kṣetra (named)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"‘Saukārava’ (of the Boar) frames the kṣetra as an extension of Varāha’s salvific presence—tīrtha as embodied avatāra-śakti that purifies and uplifts.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: the ‘field of the Boar’ suggests yajña-ground (kṣetra) sanctified by the Lord’s body/acts; no explicit limb-mappings stated here.","vedantic_connection":"Tīrtha-mahātmya implies īśvara-sannidhi: proximity to the Lord’s līlā-site functions as a means for antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi and bhakti-pravṛtti."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tīrtha-śraddhā","core_concept":"Sacred geography is approached through humble questioning; knowledge of a tīrtha’s power is received via dialogue and devotion.","practical_application":"When visiting a kṣetra, inquire into its māhātmya and align conduct with its sanctity (śraddhā, restraint, service)."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: kṣetra/tīrtha
Related Themes: Continuation of Saukārava-kṣetra narrative (138.4ff questions on karmic fruits)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhu Devī, still amazed, turns and questions the deity about the tīrtha’s greatness in the Saukārava field.","item_prompts":["Bhu Devī in attentive posture","Varāha-deity presence (suggested, not necessarily full boar form)","gesture of inquiry (raised hand/añjali)","tīrtha markers: riverbank, steps, sacred trees, shrine"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Bhu Devī in añjali, facing Varāha (divine aura), stylized river/ghāṭa elements indicating tīrtha, saturated earthy greens and reds.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Varāha with ornate crown and gold halo, Bhu Devī at side in reverent pose, gold-leaf accents on shrine/kalasha motifs of the kṣetra.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined figures, soft shading, Bhu Devī’s questioning expression, subtle tīrtha landscape with steps and water.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate dialogue scene under a tree near a stream, delicate architecture hinting at a kṣetra, lyrical spacing between the two figures."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"inquiring reverence","suggested_raga":"Bhairav (for gravity of tīrtha-mahātmya)","pace":"madhyama","voice_tone":"clear, respectful, slightly rising intonation on the question"}
FAQs
It exemplifies the Purāṇic māhātmya genre, where sacred geography is presented through question-and-answer instruction.
Saukārava-kṣetra is named; it is presented as a sacred field associated with the addressed deity, though the modern identification is not specified in this fragment.
The verse encourages inquiry and attentive engagement with cultural heritage sites through the idiom of tīrtha-māhātmya.
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