Varaha Purana 17.44 — Adhyaya 17, Shloka 44
King Prajāpāla’s Visit to Sage Mahātapā’s Hermitage and the Doctrinal Praise of Nārāyaṇa
ततो माया अब्रवीत् कोपात् सा च दुर्गा प्रकीर्तिता । न मया अस्य विना भूतिरित्युक्त्वा अन्तर्दधे पुनः ॥ १७.४४ ॥
tato māyā ’bravīt kopāt sā ca durgā prakīrtitā | na mayā ’sya vinā bhūtir ity uktvā ’ntardadhe punaḥ || 17.44 ||
പിന്നീട് മായ കോപത്തോടെ പറഞ്ഞു—അവളെയാണ് ദുർഗ്ഗയെന്നും പ്രസിദ്ധമാക്കുന്നത്. “എന്നെ കൂടാതെ അവന് ഭൂതി/സമൃദ്ധി ഇല്ല” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞ് അവൾ വീണ്ടും അന്തർധാനം ചെയ്തു.
Māyā (identified as Durgā)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"Is flourishing (bhūti) dependent on Māyā/Śakti, and if so, what lies beyond her when she withdraws?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Māyā/Durgā as the power of manifestation claims indispensability for prosperity, yet her disappearance without decay underscores that Māyā is a dependent śakti, not the ultimate reality; the substrate remains.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Ritual-world as appearance sustained by śakti; when the ‘veil’ (māyā) is withdrawn, the underlying ‘body’/adhāra persists—suggesting the yajña’s ground is deeper than its phenomenal display.","vedantic_connection":"Aligns with Vedāntic distinction: Māyā is anirvacanīyā and dependent on Brahman/Īśvara; withdrawal of māyā does not annihilate the underlying reality."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"metaphysics of śakti and appearance","core_concept":"Prosperity and manifest order are mediated by Māyā/Śakti, yet she is not ultimate; the enduring base remains even when the manifesting power withdraws.","practical_application":"Treat worldly ‘bhūti’ as contingent and śakti-mediated; pursue steadiness through devotion/discernment rather than dependence on fluctuating appearances."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Ethics","Mythic Narrative"]
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: sacred-mythic setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 17.17.45 (Directions claim indispensability next)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Māyā as Durgā, visibly angered, declares her indispensability for flourishing and then disappears (antar-dhāna), leaving the underlying form/body intact.","item_prompts":["Durgā/Māyā figure","angry expression","gesture of declaration","moment of vanishing (smoke/light dissolve)","unchanged body/form in background"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Portray Durgā with stylized crown and multiple arms (optional, consistent with regional iconography), intense eyes; show antar-dhāna via fading outline; warm palette with strong contrasts.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-leaf emphasis on Durgā’s ornaments and halo; depict disappearance with a luminous gradient; keep the enduring body/form subtly highlighted.","mysore_prompt":"Classical, restrained Durgā depiction; focus on facial expression and the narrative of vanishing; delicate shading for the dissolve effect.","pahari_prompt":"Compact Durgā figure with bold outline; depict vanishing as a cloud-like wash; minimal background, strong narrative readability."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"fierce, authoritative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"strong and resonant on ‘kōpāt’; quick taper into a hushed tone on ‘antardadhe’"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic narrative motif: a personified power (Māyā) asserts indispensability for worldly flourishing (bhūti) and then performs antardhāna (withdrawal), a literary device used to mark shifts in agency and causality within the story.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it is primarily a dialogue/narrative moment focused on the figure Māyā (also called Durgā).
The verse implicitly frames prosperity (bhūti) as contingent and relational—dependent on enabling conditions or powers—highlighting a philosophical caution against assuming self-sufficiency in agency and outcomes.
Ask anything about this verse
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