Varaha Purana 166.26 — Adhyaya 166, Shloka 26
The Greatness of the Sacred Pond Called Asikuṇḍa
असिकुण्डं समारभ्य तीर्थानुक्रमणिका वरा ॥ सुप्तोत्थितोऽपि द्वादश्यामसिकुण्डाप्लुतो नरः ॥
asikuṇḍaṃ samārabhya tīrthānukramaṇikā varā || suptotthito 'pi dvādaśyām asikuṇḍāpluto naraḥ
അസികുണ്ഡത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ആരംഭിക്കുന്ന ഈ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളുടെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ അനുക്രമണികയാണ്. ഉറക്കത്തിൽ നിന്ന് എഴുന്നേറ്റ ഉടനെയായാലും ദ്വാദശി ദിനത്തിൽ അസികുണ്ഡത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ…
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"hopeful; seeking accessible means of merit","key_question":"What is the starting point of the tīrtha-sequence, and what special efficacy does bathing at Asikuṇḍa have on the twelfth lunar day?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Asikuṇḍa","parikrama_context":"Explicitly frames a tīrtha-anukramaṇikā (sequential register) beginning at Asikuṇḍa—functionally a parikramā itinerary anchor.","krishna_connection":"Dvādaśī bathing aligns with Vaiṣṇava calendrical piety common in Mathurā-Vṛndāvana culture; Kṛṣṇa not named but the ritual ecology is Vaiṣṇava."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Asikuṇḍa is the starting point for the tīrtha-sequence; bathing there on Dvādaśī is singled out as efficacious even for the unprepared (supte utthite’pi).","karmic_consequence":"Observance grants swift tīrtha-phala despite minimal preparation; neglect forfeits an easy, time-efficient merit-opportunity."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Dvādaśī-snāna at Asikuṇḍa (Vaiṣṇava Dvādaśī observance)","tithi_month":"Dvādaśī (month not specified)","promised_fruit":"Accelerated/assured tīrtha-phala; implied purification and merit even with sudden participation."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"grace and upāya (easy means)","core_concept":"Divine compassion makes merit accessible: even an ordinary person, newly risen, can gain through timely contact with tīrtha.","practical_application":"Mark Dvādaśī for snāna; keep minimal readiness (clean intent, remembrance) so sudden opportunities for dharma are not missed."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Calendar","Sacred Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: kuṇḍa and pilgrimage-route node
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 166.28 (Asikuṇḍa greatest); Varāha Purāṇa 166.27 (fruit of all Mathurā tīrthas)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At dawn on Dvādaśī, a man rises from sleep and hastens to Asikuṇḍa, immersing as priests and pilgrims look on; a route-scroll begins from the pond, indicating the tīrtha sequence.","item_prompts":["early dawn light","sleeping mat left behind","pilgrim stepping into pond","calendar mark ‘Dvādaśī’ on a palm-leaf almanac","route-scroll starting at Asikuṇḍa","conch and bell near the ghāṭa"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dawn-toned Asikuṇḍa snāna; stylized water; palm-leaf calendar; decorative border with ‘Dvādaśī’ motif.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted dawn aura; embossed ghāṭa steps; richly ornamented ritual items (śaṅkha, ghaṇṭā); central immersion scene.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: gentle dawn gradient; realistic ghāṭa architecture; refined figures; subtle emphasis on the calendar leaf.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic sunrise over a pond; small narrative detail of the man waking; delicate trees and soft colors."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional-instruction with gentle urgency","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"warm, encouraging, clear"}
FAQs
It evidences indexing practices (anukramaṇikā) and calendrical ritual timing (dvādaśī), both relevant for the history of pilgrimage administration and ritual scheduling.
Asikuṇḍa is the focal site; the verse also implies a broader circuit through the mention of a tīrtha sequence.
It encourages regularized, time-aware practice and careful observance of culturally meaningful days, framed as personal discipline.
Ask anything about this verse
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