Varaha Purana 125.178 — Adhyaya 125, Shloka 178
The Cycle of Māyā
Illusory Causation and Perceptual Reversal
मायया किं तव धरे न मायां ज्ञातुमर्हसि ॥ मम मायां न जानन्ति देवदानवराक्षसाः ॥
māyayā kiṃ tava dhare na māyāṃ jñātumarhasi || mama māyāṃ na jānanti devadānavarākṣasāḥ ||
ഹേ ധരാധാരിണീ! നിനക്ക് മായയുമായി എന്ത് കാര്യം? മായയെ അറിയാൻ നീ അർഹയല്ല. എന്റെ മായയെ ദേവന്മാരും ദാനവന്മാരും രാക്ഷസന്മാരും പോലും അറിയുന്നില്ല.
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","earth_interaction":"Direct address to Dhara/Bhū-devī, setting epistemic limits and asserting the inscrutability of the Lord’s māyā"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious; probing metaphysical mechanism (māyā) behind events/places like Māyā-tīrtha","key_question":"What is māyā, and how can it be known—what is its scope and who can comprehend it?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"None explicit; māyā doctrine later becomes central in Kṛṣṇa narratives, but not invoked here as such"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Varāha as the supreme controller whose līlā/māyā upholds and reconfigures worlds; the avatāra teaches that cosmic appearances are governed by divine power beyond ordinary cognition.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None (no explicit limb-to-ritual mapping in this verse)","vedantic_connection":"Māyā as the Lord’s inscrutable śakti: unknowable to limited beings (devas/asuras/rākṣasas), knowable only through anugraha and bhakti rather than mere intellectual inquiry."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"epistemology / theology of śakti","core_concept":"Divine māyā is not an object of ordinary knowledge; even powerful classes of beings fail to grasp it—humility and devotion are implied prerequisites.","practical_application":"Replace speculative obsession with disciplined bhakti and ethical living; interpret extraordinary events as occasions for surrender rather than pride in understanding."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Philosophy (epistemology)","Mythic ontology"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: philosophical setting within dialogue
Related Themes: 125.179.0 (Māyā-tīrtha narrative prompt)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha addresses Bhū-devī with a firm yet protective tone, indicating the unfathomable veil of māyā; devas/asuras/rākṣasas appear as baffled witnesses in the background.","item_prompts":["Varāha speaking to Bhū-devī (Dhara)","Bhū-devī with questioning posture","three groups: devas, dānavas, rākṣasas shown perplexed","veil/curtain motif symbolizing māyā","cosmic backdrop with shifting forms"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong iconographic grouping of devas/asuras/rākṣasas; a stylized translucent veil between worlds; Varāha’s authoritative expression.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf veil effect; Varāha central with heavy ornament; background figures in tiers showing incomprehension; dramatic halo.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: subtle, philosophical mood; soft veil motif; refined expressions of wonder and limitation on background beings.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: airy allegorical scene; gauzy veil across the composition; small clustered devas/asuras below; Varāha and Bhū-devī in intimate dialogue."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"awe-filled, cautionary","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"grave, measured, authoritative"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic articulation of divine inscrutability—māyā as a power not fully accessible even to high-ranking mythic beings—useful for comparative studies with Vedāntic and devotional literatures.
No location is mentioned.
To recognize limits of knowledge regarding divine agency (māyā), encouraging epistemic restraint in the narrative.
Ask anything about this verse
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