Varaha Purana 125.116 — Adhyaya 125, Shloka 116
The Cycle of Māyā
Illusory Causation and Perceptual Reversal
अहं मायाप्रलोभेन गङ्गातीरमुपागतः ॥ दण्डं कुण्डीं च वस्त्रं च तीरे संस्थाप्य यत्ननः ॥ ततः स्नानविधानेन निमग्नस्तज्जलेऽमले ॥
ahaṃ māyāpralobhena gaṅgātīram upāgataḥ || daṇḍaṃ kuṇḍīṃ ca vastraṃ ca tīre saṃsthāpya yatnataḥ || tataḥ snānavidhānena nimagnas tajjale 'male ||
ഞാൻ മായയുടെ പ്രലോഭനത്താൽ ഗംഗാതീരത്തെത്തി. ദണ്ഡം, കുണ്ഡി, വസ്ത്രം എന്നിവ തീരത്ത് ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ വെച്ച്, പിന്നെ സ്നാനവിധിപ്രകാരം ആ നിർമലജലത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി.
Niṣāda (continuing his account; inferred from prior verse)
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":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Gaṅgā-tīra (not Mathurā-specific in this excerpt)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Approach sacred waters with proper saṃskāra: set aside ritual implements respectfully and perform snāna according to vidhi in pure water.","karmic_consequence":"Vidhi-based snāna supports purification and eligibility for further rites; careless/avidhi conduct undermines intended śauca and may yield no ritual fruit."}
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":"moral psychology of māyā and agency","core_concept":"‘Māyā-pralobha’ shows how delusion can redirect one even into sacred acts; ritual correctness does not automatically equal inner clarity.","practical_application":"Pair external rite (snāna-vidhi) with inner vigilance—examine motives, reduce delusive impulses, cultivate sattva."}
Subject Matter: ["Sacred Geography","Heritage Sites","Ritual Practice"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: tīrtha (sacred ford)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: tīrtha-snāna and śauca discussions (general)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A man arrives at the Gaṅgā, sets down staff, water-pot, and garment on the sandy bank, then steps into clear water for prescribed bathing.","item_prompts":["Gaṅgā with clear ripples","daṇḍa (staff)","kuṇḍī/kamaṇḍalu (water-pot)","folded cloth on shore","figure half-immersed performing snāna"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized river waves, ritual objects neatly arranged, figure in profile entering water, lush riverbank flora.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: shimmering gold accents on water surface, objects rendered with jewel-like clarity, devotional aura around the tīrtha.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: realistic water translucence, fine detailing of kamaṇḍalu and cloth folds, serene composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical river scene with pale blues/greens, minimal objects, emphasis on quiet ritual action."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn, purificatory","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"measured, introspective"}
FAQs
It documents a standardized ritual-bathing scene at the Gaṅgā, including ascetic implements, valuable for reconstructing ritual practice and material culture in Sanskrit narrative texts.
Gaṅgā-tīra (the bank of the Ganges), a major sacred geography marker widely attested across Purāṇic and dharma literature.
The verse frames self-awareness about being 'lured by delusion' and implicitly cautions that ritual settings can become contexts for moral testing.
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