Varaha Purana 22.17 — Adhyaya 22, Shloka 17
Gaurī’s Rebirth, Umā’s Austerities, Rudra’s Test, and the Himalayan Wedding
यद्येनं नापकर्षामि मकरॆण जले धृतम् । तदानिं ब्रह्मवध्याऽ मे भवतीति न संशयः ॥ २२.१७ ॥
yady enaṁ nāpakarṣāmi makareṇa jale dhṛtam | tadānīṁ brahmavadhyā me bhavatīti na saṁśayaḥ || 22.17 ||
«ຖ້າຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ດຶງລາວຂຶ້ນ ໃນຂະນະທີ່ຖືກມະກະຣະກັກໄວ້ໃນນ້ຳ ແລ້ວໃນຂະນະນັ້ນເອງ ບາບແຫ່ງການຂ້າພຣາຫມັນ (ພຣະຫມະຫັດຍາ) ຈະເປັນຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ—ບໍ່ມີຄວາມສົງໄສ»
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; explicit speaker not provided in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"compassion","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha frames rescue as a dharmic imperative, implicitly protecting beings upon Earth and preventing moral taint that would burden her order."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"burdened by dharmic stakes; urgent and morally alert","key_question":"When a life is endangered, does omission of rescue incur grave sin—specifically brahma-hatyā—upon the capable protector?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Failure to save a threatened dvija when one has the power to do so is treated as incurring brahma-hatyā-like guilt.","karmic_consequence":"Rescue averts the gravest demerit; neglect brings immediate, inescapable moral pollution equated with brahma-slaughter."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma-ethics","core_concept":"Karma attaches not only to acts but to culpable omission; dharma demands active protection of life.","practical_application":"When capable, intervene to prevent harm—especially to the vulnerable—rather than rationalizing inaction."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Dharma (moral responsibility)","Mythic fauna (makara)","Rescue motif"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: mythic aquatic peril-zone
Related Themes: 22.22.18-21 (brahma-hatyā inexpiability; ensuing rescue; shame/silence)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha (as speaker) declares that if he does not pull the endangered person from the water where a makara holds him, he will incur brahma-hatyā guilt.","item_prompts":["dark swirling river/pond","makara gripping a struggling dvija","Varāha’s resolute expression (speaker stance)","sense of imminent action","aura of dharma weighing like a scale"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, flat jewel tones; Varāha in regal stance speaking dharma; turbulent blue-green waters with stylized makara; dvija in distress; minimal background architecture.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: gold-leaf halo around Varāha; ornate borders; makara rendered as decorative yet menacing; dvija with sacred thread visible; emphasis on moral resolve through icon-like composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting: delicate shading, refined faces; Varāha as dignified narrator-hero; water rendered with fine ripples; makara detailed; dvija’s hand reaching upward.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical landscape with river bend; expressive makara; Varāha in foreground speaking; dvija small but poignant; cool palette with dramatic contrast."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave, urgent","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"firm, admonitory, compassionate"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical idiom in which immediate action to prevent harm is framed as a dharmic obligation, using the culturally recognized category of grave transgression (brahma-hatyā/brahmavadhyā) to emphasize moral urgency.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the setting is described generically as “in the water” (jale), with an aquatic creature (makara) as the narrative marker.
The verse foregrounds accountability: failing to rescue someone in immediate danger is portrayed as incurring severe moral culpability, stressing prompt protective action as a key philosophical instruction.
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