Varaha Purana 145.52: Adhyaya 145, Shloka 52
The Greatness of the Śālagrāma Sacred Region
यस्तत्र कुरुते स्नानं चतुरात्रोषितो नरः ॥ अग्निष्टोमात्पञ्चगुणं फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः ॥
yastatra kurute snānaṃ caturātroṣito naraḥ || agniṣṭomāt pañcaguṇaṃ phalaṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ ||
അവിടെ നാലു രാത്രികൾ താമസിച്ച് സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ, അഗ്നിഷ്ടോമ യാഗഫലത്തേക്കാൾ അഞ്ചിരട്ടി ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.
Varāha (default, instructional voice)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha teaches Bhū-devī about the tīrtha’s bath and its superior sacrificial merit (phala-śruti)."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, receptive","key_question":"How does residence (catur-rātra-vāsa) and snāna at this sacred site generate merit surpassing major Vedic sacrifice?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Unspecified tīrtha (within the Mathurā-maṇḍala section implied by chapter context)","parikrama_context":"Implied as a merit-station within tīrtha-yātrā/parikramā where fixed-night residence and bathing are prescribed.","krishna_connection":"Indirect: Vaiṣṇava merit economy and tīrtha culture anticipates Mathurā-Vraja’s later Kṛṣṇa-centered sanctity, though Kṛṣṇa is not named here."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Stay four nights at the tīrtha and perform ritual bathing; the resulting merit is declared fivefold compared to Agniṣṭoma.","karmic_consequence":"Observance yields amplified puṇya (pañca-guṇa Agniṣṭoma-phala); neglect forfeits that special multiplier of merit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-phala / bhakti-inflected tīrtha-dharma","core_concept":"Accessible sacred action (snāna with niyama and vāsa) can rival or surpass costly Vedic rites through tīrtha-śakti and divine sanction.","practical_application":"Undertake disciplined pilgrimage: remain for the stated nights, bathe with intention, and align conduct with Vaiṣṇava rites."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites","Ritual Practice"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: tīrtha (ford/bathing place)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 145.58 (death at the site + attainment of Varāha’s world); Varāha Purāṇa 145.61-62 (seven-night stay yields kingship + post-mortem ascent)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha, in a calm instructive posture, indicates a sacred bathing ghat while describing the fivefold fruit compared to Agniṣṭoma; pilgrims prepare for snāna after a four-night stay.","item_prompts":["tīrtha ghat/steps","pilgrims with water pots (kalaśa)","Varāha as divine teacher","night-stay markers (camp/lamps)","river shimmer suggesting sanctity"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: serene Varāha teaching beside a stylized river-ghat, flat luminous colors, ornate jewelry, pilgrims in simple garments holding kalaśas.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha with gold-leaf aura, river-ghat at base, devotees bathing; emphasize sacred opulence and phala-śruti inscription panel.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework Varāha gesturing toward the tīrtha, soft gradients, pilgrims performing snāna with restrained elegance.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hillside river-tīrtha with small figures bathing, Varāha as a dignified teacher, cool palette and narrative vignette of four-night encampment."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, auspicious","suggested_raga":"Bilawal","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, declarative, gently emphatic on ‘pañca-guṇam’ and ‘Agniṣṭomāt’"}
FAQs
It illustrates Purāṇic revaluation of ritual economy, where pilgrimage and bathing at a site can be presented as comparable to (or exceeding) Vedic sacrificial results.
The location is the previously named Agniprabha kṣetra; the passage does not specify a broader regional identifier.
It encourages disciplined observance (a defined stay and practice) rather than casual consumption of sacred spaces.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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.