Varaha Purana 165.13 — Adhyaya 165, Shloka 13

The Glory of Mathurā: The Account of Piṇḍa-Offering at the Catuḥsāmudrika Well

Devanagari script

दीर्घदंष्ट्रः सुविकटो ह्रस्वबाहुर्विभीषणः ॥ महाहनुर्विशालाक्षो बिडालसदृशाननः ॥

Transliteration

dīrghadaṃṣṭraḥ suvikaṭo hrasvabāhur vibhīṣaṇaḥ | mahāhanur viśālākṣo biḍālasadṛśānanaḥ ||

Translation

ມັນມີເຂົ້ຍຍາວ ຮູບຮ່າງພິການນ່າຢ້ານ ແຂນສັ້ນນ່າສະພຶງກົວ. ມີຂາກະໄຕໃຫຍ່ ຕາກວ້າງ ແລະໃບໜ້າຄ້າຍແມວ.

Word by Word

• दीर्घ-दंष्ट्रः: having long fangs
• दीर्घ-दंष्ट्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + दंष्ट्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (दीर्घाः दंष्ट्राः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रेतस्य विशेषणम्

• सु-विकटः: very hideous
• सु-विकटः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/उपपद) + विकट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/उपपद-समास (सु + विकट); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ह्रस्व-बाहुः: having short arms
• ह्रस्व-बाहुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ह्रस्व (प्रातिपदिक) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (ह्रस्वौ बाहू यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विभीषणः: dreadful
• विभीषणः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विभीषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महा-हनुः: having a huge jaw
• महा-हनुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + हनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (महान् हनुः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विशाल-अक्षः: large-eyed
• विशाल-अक्षः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशाल (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षि/अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (विशाले अक्षिणी/अक्षे यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बिडाल-सदृश-आननः: having a face like a cat
• बिडाल-सदृश-आननः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बिडाल (प्रातिपदिक) + सदृश (प्रातिपदिक) + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (बिडालसदृशम् आननं यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Varāha (default narrative frame; speaker not explicit in this fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

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":"didactic imagery (rūpaka of adharma’s fruit)","core_concept":"Grotesque embodiment externalizes inner disorder: preta-form mirrors spiritual deprivation and ritual neglect.","practical_application":"Cultivate purity and fulfill duties (especially toward ancestors and dependents) to avoid ‘preta-like’ states of lack and distortion."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Cultural Anthropology","Narrative Literature","Ethics"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: haunted/liminal spot (preta-vāsa)

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 165.13 (preta introduced); Varāha Purāṇa 165.16 (preta approaches and speaks)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Close-up iconographic description of the preta: long fangs, huge jaw, wide eyes, short arms, cat-like face—pure monster portraiture.","item_prompts":["elongated fangs","oversized jaw","wide staring eyes","short arms","cat-like muzzle","gaunt torso","ragged hair"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural demon-portrait: symmetrical wide eyes, stylized fangs, strong contour lines; saturated reds/ochres with black shading.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: frontal fierce face with gold embossing on eyes/fangs; ornate but unsettling jewelry to heighten contrast.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: detailed facial modeling, expressive eyes, controlled grotesquerie; muted background to focus on form.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: simplified but vivid monster head with sharp profile; flat color fields and dramatic gaze."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"graphic, fear-inducing description","suggested_raga":"Tōḍī","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"intense, emphatic on compound adjectives"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Monster Iconography
• Afterlife Imagery

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

Such catalog-like bodily description is typical of Sanskrit narrative and didactic literature, using vivid morphology to externalize fear and moral peril.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic identifier appears in this verse; it functions as a descriptive amplification within the same setting.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The text intensifies the affective atmosphere (bhaya) to foreground the gravity of the impending interaction, a common strategy in moral storytelling.