Varaha Purana 186.16 — Adhyaya 186, Shloka 16
Ritual Procedure for Installing Silver and Gold Images, and the Special Status of Śālagrāma
मन्त्रः— वेदैर्वेद्यो वेदविद्भिश्च पूज्यो यज्ञात्मको यज्ञफलप्रदाता ॥ यज्ञार्थं त्वामाह्वये देवदेव मूर्त्तावस्यां तिष्ठ सुलोकनाथ
mantraḥ— vedair vedyo vedavidbhiś ca pūjyo yajñātmako yajñaphalapradātā || yajñārthaṃ tvām āhvaye devadeva mūrttāv asyāṃ tiṣṭha sulokanātha
ມົນຕຣາ: ‘ຜູ້ພຶງຮູ້ໄດ້ດ້ວຍເວທະ ແລະພຶງບູຊາໂດຍຜູ້ຮູ້ເວທະ; ເປັນແກ່ນແທ້ແຫ່ງຍັດຍະ ແລະປະທານຜົນແຫ່ງຍັດຍະ—ເພື່ອຍັດຍະນີ້ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຂໍອັນເຊີນພຣະອົງ ໂອ ເທວະເໜືອເທວະ; ຂໍປະທັບຢູ່ໃນມູຣຕິນີ້ ໂອ ນາຖແຫ່ງໂລກອັນມົງຄຸນ.’
Varāha (default, mantra-giver)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
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":"dana","instruction_summary":"During installation, recite an āvāhana/pratiṣṭhā mantra praising the deity as Veda-known, Veda-worshipped, Yajña-essence, and giver of yajña-fruit, requesting the Lord to abide in the icon.","karmic_consequence":"Correct invocation establishes devatā-sannidhāna and yields ritual fruit; omission/irreverence results in incomplete worship and reduced merit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Explicit Yajña-Varāha theology: the Lord is ‘yajñātmaka’ and ‘yajñaphalapradātā’, collapsing means and end—ritual is both His body and His grace. The icon becomes a sanctioned locus where the cosmic Yajña takes form.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Yajña as the deity’s very essence; āvāhana = drawing the cosmic Lord into a bounded form (mūrti) for loka-saṅgraha; ‘sulokanātha’ frames Him as ruler of auspicious realms attained by sacrifice and devotion.","vedantic_connection":"Īśvara is the inner controller of karma and its fruits (karma-phala-dātā); Vedic knowledge culminates in recognizing the one Lord behind ritual multiplicity—supporting bhakti as the mature reception of Veda."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of ritual","core_concept":"The Lord is both the intelligible object of the Vedas and the giver of ritual results; therefore worship is not mere technique but relationship with the source of dharma and fruit.","practical_application":"When performing pūjā, align mantra-meaning with intention: invoke the deity as the true giver of results, reducing transactional mindset and increasing surrender."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Studies","Philosophical Theology (Neutral)","Vedic Reception in Purāṇas"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: consecration site
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 186.16 (installation context); Varāha Purāṇa 186.18 (Ananta salutation and worship)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee recites an invocation before an icon, hands in añjali; the deity is praised as Veda-known and Yajña-embodied; a subtle aura suggests the Lord ‘entering’ and abiding in the mūrti.","item_prompts":["icon on pedestal","priest/devotee with palm-leaf or mantra posture","homa-like fire lamp nearby","Vedic manuscripts as symbolic props","radiant halo around the icon"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: frontal icon with luminous aura; priest in profile chanting; minimal but potent ritual objects; deep reds/ochres with green accents.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: large central deity with gold-leaf halo; ornate arch; priest at lower corner in añjali; inscriptions-like mantra band.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant, detailed jewelry on icon; soft glow; refined facial expressions; balanced symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical sanctum with delicate aura lines; gentle colors; emphasis on devotional intimacy rather than grandeur."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn invocation","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"resonant, mantra-focused"}
FAQs
It shows how Purāṇic ritual language legitimizes icon consecration through Vedic epistemic authority (vedair vedyaḥ) while integrating sacrifice-centered terminology.
No geographic location is specified; the focus is liturgical and conceptual.
The verse frames ritual as purposeful (yajñārtham) and accountable, encouraging intentional practice rather than mere display.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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.