Varaha Purana 113.21 — Adhyaya 113, Shloka 21
Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry
Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue
अन्यद्धिरण्यकशिपुर्वरदानेन दर्पितः ॥ असावपि नृसिंहेण वपुरास्थाय नाशितः
anyaddhiraṇyakaśipurvaradānena darpitaḥ || asāvapi nṛsiṃheṇa vapurāsthāya nāśitaḥ
മറ്റൊരു ശത്രുവായ ഹിരണ്യകശിപുവും വരദാനത്തിന്റെ അഹങ്കാരത്തിൽ ദർപ്പിതനായി; നിങ്ങൾ നരസിംഹവപു ധരിച്ചു അവനെയും നശിപ്പിച്ചു।
Pṛthivī
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"reverent, reflective on cosmic protection; implicitly relieved by removal of burdensome tyrants","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Mentions Narasiṃha avatāra within the broader avatāra-cycle that culminates in Kṛṣṇa traditions, but no direct Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa linkage in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"A boon-fortified tyrant who becomes darpita (arrogant) and violates dharma is ultimately checked by divine intervention to restore order.","karmic_consequence":"Arrogance born of power/boons leads to downfall; protection of the righteous is reaffirmed."}
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":"theodicy / dharma-restoration","core_concept":"Īśvara’s avatāra acts as a corrective when adharma becomes entrenched through misused power.","practical_application":"Cultivate humility with power/privilege; align kingship and personal conduct with dharma to avoid self-destruction."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Ethics","Mythic History"]
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mythic-cosmic
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa avatāra-catalogue context (Earth recounts prior rescues)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Earth praises Viṣṇu’s Narasiṃha manifestation: the boon-proud Hiraṇyakaśipu meets destruction by the man-lion form.","item_prompts":["Narasiṃha with leonine head and human torso","Hiraṇyakaśipu as a regal asura","threshold/pillar motif (implicit Narasiṃha iconography)","aura of tejas around Narasiṃha","Pṛthivī as a goddess in añjali (optional, as narrator)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: fierce Narasiṃha with wide eyes, ornate jewelry, saturated reds/golds; asura king subdued; devotional Pṛthivī at side.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Narasiṃha with heavy gold-leaf ornaments and prabhāmaṇḍala; Hiraṇyakaśipu beneath; rich textile patterns.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework, controlled ferocity in expression, luminous skin tones; subtle palace/threshold backdrop.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: dramatic yet lyrical Narasiṃha scene with simplified architecture, cool background hills, expressive faces."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic, forceful praise","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, resonant, slightly heightened on ‘nṛsiṃheṇa’ and ‘nāśitaḥ’"}
FAQs
It cross-references a widely transmitted Narasiṃha cycle, illustrating how Purāṇas interlink narratives to reinforce ethical themes such as the limits of power secured through boons.
No specific earthly location is named here; the verse functions as a narrative allusion rather than a place-based description.
Power obtained through exceptional favor (vara) can lead to moral arrogance (darpa), which is portrayed as self-defeating.
Ask anything about this verse
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