Varaha Purana 140.78: Adhyaya 140, Shloka 78
The Greatness of Kokāmukha (Badarī): Varāha’s Hidden Abode and the Sacred Waters
अन्यच्च ते प्रवक्ष्यामि तच्छृणुष्व वसुन्धरे ।। तस्मिन्कोकामुखे रम्ये तिष्ठामि दक्षिणामुखः ॥
anyacca te pravakṣyāmi tacchṛṇuṣva vasundhare || tasminkokāmukhe ramye tiṣṭhāmi dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ ||
ഇനിയും ഞാൻ നിന്നോട് പറയും—ഹേ വസുന്ധരേ, കേൾക്കുക. ആ രമ്യമായ കോകാമുഖത്തിൽ ഞാൻ ദക്ഷിണമുഖനായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","earth_interaction":"Varāha addresses Vasundharā directly, instructing her to listen while indicating his abiding presence at Kokāmukha, facing south."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, attentive","key_question":"What further sacred-topographic and cosmological detail about Kokāmukha and Varāha’s abiding form is to be revealed?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Kokāmukha"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The deity’s fixed orientation (dakṣiṇāmukha) signals a regulated cosmic station: the Lord as the axis of sacred space, stabilizing directions and time-cycles for beings who approach the tīrtha.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Directional guardianship: south-facing presence evokes the Lord’s mastery over the dakṣiṇa-dik (often linked with Yama/time), implying protection and transcendence of mortality at the site.","vedantic_connection":"Īśvara as adhāra (support) of space (dik) and time (kāla); the tīrtha becomes a locus where vyāvahārika space is ‘pierced’ by pāramārthika presence."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"sacred geography as soteriology","core_concept":"Divine immanence localized in kṣetra: the Lord ‘remains’ (tiṣṭhāmi) in a place, making geography a vehicle of grace.","practical_application":"Approach tīrthas with śraddhā and attentiveness to prescribed forms/orientations; treat place as a living presence rather than mere location."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: tīrtha/kshetra (sacred topographic locus)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 140.88-92 (iconographic description and mahātmyic secrecy of Kokāmukha)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha speaks to Bhū-devī, gesturing toward a delightful sacred spot named Kokāmukha, emphasizing his south-facing abiding presence there.","item_prompts":["Varāha as speaker","Bhū-devī listening","tīrtha landscape labeled ‘Kokāmukha’","southward orientation cue (sun path/compass motif)","aura around the site"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha in regal stance addressing Bhū-devī, lush green tīrtha setting, clear south-facing posture, warm ochres and greens, ornate jewelry and halo.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha with pronounced halo and gold-leaf ornaments, Bhū-devī seated in reverence, stylized shrine/kshetra marker for Kokāmukha, directional emblem indicating south.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, subdued palette, Varāha teaching Bhū-devī, serene tīrtha background with subtle compass/dik symbolism.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical landscape with riverbank/ghat-like cues, Varāha and Bhū-devī in intimate teacher-disciple composition, minimal but clear southward orientation sign."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"revelatory and steady","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"authoritative, instructive"}
FAQs
It records a site-specific orientation (facing south), relevant to temple/installation traditions and the ritual geography of Purāṇic pilgrimage narratives.
Kokāmukha is the named locale; the verse adds an internal directional marker (south-facing) that could assist comparative study with regional sacred-site traditions.
The instruction is epistemic and dialogic: attentive listening and transmission of place-knowledge as part of cultural memory.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.