Varaha Purana 186.41 — Adhyaya 186, Shloka 41
Ritual Procedure for Installing Silver and Gold Images, and the Special Status of Śālagrāma
शिला द्वादश वै देवि शालग्रामसमुद्भवाः ॥ विधिवत्पूजिता येन तस्य पुण्यं वदामि ते
śilā dvādaśa vai devi śālagrāmasamudbhavāḥ || vidhivat pūjitā yena tasya puṇyaṁ vadāmi te
ໂອ ເທວີ, ມີຫີນສິບສອງປະເພດ ອັນເກີດຂຶ້ນເປັນສາລະກຣາມ. ຜູ້ໃດບູຊາຕາມພິທີແລະວິນັຍ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະກ່າວບຸນຜົນຂອງຜູ້ນັ້ນໃຫ້ທ່ານຟັງ.
Varāha (addressing Pṛthivī/Devī)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha addresses Devī (Pṛthivī) and introduces a taxonomy of twelve Śālagrāma types and their worship merit."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"inquisitive; ready to hear classification and fruits","key_question":"What are the recognized types of Śālagrāma stones, and what merit arises from worshipping them properly?"}
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":"Worship the (twelve) Śālagrāma-origin stones according to prescribed procedure to obtain stated merit.","karmic_consequence":"Proper vidhi-based worship yields puṇya proportionate to the sanctity of the objects; neglect of vidhi diminishes fruit and may introduce ritual fault (doṣa)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The ‘twelve’ evokes cosmic ordering (months/Ādityas) and suggests that Viṣṇu’s arcā-presence is systematically knowable through lakṣaṇa and number—ritual taxonomy as a map of the divine.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Numbered types mirror yajña’s structured components; worship ‘according to rule’ parallels correct performance (yathā-vidhi) that makes the rite efficacious.","vedantic_connection":"Bhakti is strengthened by śāstra-pramāṇa: knowing classifications and procedure disciplines attention (ekāgratā) toward the same Viṣṇu-tattva across forms."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"scriptural method","core_concept":"Merit is not random; it is linked to right knowledge (jñāna of types/marks) and right action (vidhi).","practical_application":"Learn recognized Śālagrāma-lakṣaṇas from reliable tradition; perform daily worship with consistent procedure (snāna, gandha, tulasī, naivedya, mantra)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Ethics","Textual Taxonomy"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: sacred-object network (implied)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 186.46-47 (hyperbolic merit comparisons)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha enumerates ‘twelve’ Śālagrāma types to Bhūdevī; a display of multiple stones arranged in a neat grid on a cloth before a small altar.","item_prompts":["twelve stones arranged","counting gesture","palm-leaf manuscript or rosary","altar cloth","tulasī sprig","Varāha and Bhūdevī in dialogue"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: symmetrical layout of twelve stones; Varāha teaching with expressive hand; decorative floral borders; earthy pigments.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf accents on the altar and halos; twelve stones as dark polished ovals; ornate jewelry on Bhūdevī.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined, courtly interior; stones carefully rendered; gentle didactic mood; subtle gold highlights.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: veranda scene with cloth spread; twelve stones in two rows; delicate faces; soft landscape beyond."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional, enumerative","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"measured, teacherly, clear diction"}
FAQs
It indicates a classificatory scheme (twelve types) and connects taxonomy to regulated practice, relevant for cataloging traditions in Purāṇic ritual literature.
No geographic name appears in this verse.
Merit is framed as linked to careful adherence to prescribed procedure (vidhi).
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