Varaha Purana 166.14 — Adhyaya 166, Shloka 14
The Greatness of the Sacred Pond Called Asikuṇḍa
वरं वृणुत भद्रं वो यद्वो मनसि वर्त्तते ॥ तीर्थान्यूचुः ॥ वराह यदि देवेश अभयं दातुमर्हसि ।
varaṁ vṛṇuta bhadraṁ vo yad vo manasi varttate || tīrthāny ūcuḥ || varāha yadi deveśa abhayaṁ dātum arhasi |
വരം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക—നിങ്ങൾക്കു മംഗളം വരട്ടെ—നിങ്ങളുടെ മനസ്സിൽ ഉള്ളതെന്തോ അത്. തീർത്ഥങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ വരാഹാ, ഹേ ദേവേശാ, നിങ്ങൾ അഭയം (രക്ഷ) നൽകാൻ യോഗ്യമെന്നു കരുതുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ…।
Varāha (first hemistich), then Tīrthāni
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"compassion","earth_interaction":"Varāha offers a boon in a protective, governance-of-space context; Earth is the addressed witness of the exchange."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"concerned for the welfare of her tīrthas; listening as mediator/ground of events","key_question":"How can fearlessness/protection be secured for the tīrthas against threatening forces?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Foreshadowing only: protection of tīrthas anticipates later Vaiṣṇava sacralization of Mathurā-Vraja."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The boon-granting lord embodies īśvara as protector of dharma; tīrthas represent channels of purification seeking ‘abhaya’—freedom from fear—akin to liberation from saṃsāric dread.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Abhaya as the ‘dakṣiṇā’ of divine yajña: the Lord’s protection is the fruit bestowed upon sacred loci that sustain ritual purity.","vedantic_connection":"Abhaya is a classic Upaniṣadic marker of brahma-jñāna’s fruit; here mapped onto cosmic governance where sacred places participate in the Lord’s order."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-ethics of refuge","core_concept":"Seeking protection (abhaya) through humble petition aligns sacred communities with divine dharma.","practical_application":"When threatened—personally or communally—seek refuge through prayer and righteous appeal rather than retaliation alone."}
Subject Matter: ["Protection","Sacred Geography","Governance of Space (tīrthas)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: sacred sites as polity-like constituents
Related Themes: 166.17.0 (reason for fear); 166.18.0 (Varāha’s protective action)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha offers a boon; personified tīrthas raise folded hands requesting fearlessness.","item_prompts":["Varāha seated/standing as boon-giver","tīrthas with añjali mudrā","scroll/banner indicating ‘abhaya’","calm yet urgent faces"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha in varada mudrā, tīrthas in symmetrical devotional rows; warm palette, ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-embossed varada/abhaya mudrā, tīrthas with jeweled crowns/kalasha; heavy ornamentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined expressions; Varāha’s hand extended granting boon; tīrthas slightly bowed, soft background architecture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate court-like petition scene under a tree near water; tīrthas as ascetics; Varāha luminous, minimal ornament."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"supplicatory and protective","suggested_raga":"Śrī","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"gentle on boon-offer, earnest on tīrtha petition"}
FAQs
The ‘boon’ (vara) formula is a widespread South Asian narrative convention, indexing patronage, protection, and the legitimation of sacred places.
The tīrthas speak collectively; the specific locus—Mathurā and the Varāha-tīrtha—appears explicitly later in the same passage.
It foregrounds protection of communal goods (tīrthas) and the moral duty of granting security against harm.
Ask anything about this verse
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