Varaha Purana 153.5 — Adhyaya 153, Shloka 5
The Glory of the Mathurā Sacred Landscape: Saṃyamana Tīrtha and the Twelve Sacred Forests
तस्मिन् संयमने तीर्थे यद्यद्वृत्तं पुरातनम् ॥ कश्चित्पापसमाचारो निषादो दुष्टमानसः ॥
tasmin saṁyamane tīrthe yad-yad vṛttaṁ purātanam || kaścit pāpa-samācāro niṣādo duṣṭa-mānasaḥ ||
ആ സംയമന തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഒരു പുരാതന സംഭവമുണ്ടായി. പാപാചാരമുള്ളതും ദുഷ്ടമനസ്സുള്ളതുമായ ഒരു നിഷാദൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha introduces an exemplum (purātana-vṛtta) to Vasundharā, setting up a moral narrative tied to Saṁyamana tīrtha."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Saṁyamana tīrtha","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"A narrative warning is introduced: even a sinful-minded Niṣāda becomes relevant in the tīrtha’s moral economy (implying potential for transformation/fruit).","karmic_consequence":"Sinful conduct is marked as blameworthy; the ensuing story (next verses) implies consequences and/or redemption through contact with tīrtha."}
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":"ethical didacticism via itihāsa-style exemplum","core_concept":"Adharma deforms the mind (duṣṭa-manas) and conduct (pāpa-samācāra), yet Purāṇic narrative often shows tīrtha as a catalyst for reversal.","practical_application":"Avoid pāpa-samācāra; use pilgrimage not as license but as impetus for inner reform (saṁyama) and confession/rectification."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: Bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: Śānta
Type: tīrtha (narrative setting)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 153.2–153.4 (tīrtha’s salvific claims); Varāha Purāṇa 153.6 (Niṣāda’s origin and journey toward Mathurā)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha narrates an ancient episode: a dark, rough-looking Niṣāda with troubled expression is introduced near the Saṁyamana tīrtha, foreshadowing moral turning.","item_prompts":["Varāha storyteller posture","Bhū-devī listening","Niṣāda figure (humble attire, tense face)","tīrtha waters in background","sense of impending change"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized Niṣāda with darker tones and sharp eyes, contrasted with luminous tīrtha waters; Varāha and Bhū-devī in composed dialogue frame.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate Varāha and Bhū-devī, with a smaller narrative panel showing the Niṣāda by the tīrtha; gold accents emphasize sacred vs profane contrast.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced facial expression for ‘duṣṭa-manas’, subdued palette around Niṣāda, brighter around the tīrtha and Varāha.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: storybook vignette—Niṣāda in foreground, tīrtha and trees behind, Varāha narrating to Earth at the side, gentle but clear moral contrast."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, suspenseful","suggested_raga":"Bhairavī","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, narrative"}
FAQs
It introduces an exemplum narrative—an illustrative story used to communicate the perceived power of place and ethical change in Purāṇic literature.
Saṁyamana tīrtha, within the Mathurā tīrtha cycle of this chapter.
It sets up a contrast between harmful conduct and the possibility of transformation, preparing a moral narrative about actions and consequences.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.