Varaha Purana 170.43 — Adhyaya 170, Shloka 43
The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship
including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics
तत्रारुह्य दरीद्वारं यावद्दृष्टिर्निपात्यते ॥ तावदभ्यागतादीनि स्वागतादि शृणोति च ॥
tatrāruhya darīdvāraṁ yāvad dṛṣṭir nipātyate || tāvad abhyāgatādīni svāgatādi śṛṇoti ca
അവിടെ കയറി ഗർഭഗഹ്വരത്തിന്റെ വാതിലിൽ എത്തിയപ്പോൾ, തന്റെ ദൃഷ്ടി എത്തുന്നത്ര ദൂരത്ത് ‘അതിഥി എത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നു’, ‘സ്വാഗതം’ മുതലായ വാക്കുകൾ അദ്ദേഹം കേട്ടു।
Varāha (narrative voice; explicit speaker not stated in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Atithi-satkāra is implied as a living norm: arrivals are announced and welcomed (‘abhyāgata’, ‘svāgata’).","karmic_consequence":"Honoring guests supports puṇya and social harmony; neglect of atithi is traditionally treated as adharma leading to demerit and loss of auspiciousness."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of hospitality","core_concept":"Atithi is to be received with readiness; dharma is heard first as speech—welcoming words precede offerings.","practical_application":"Cultivate verbal hospitality (greeting, reassurance) as the first act of care; make homes/communities safe for the unexpected visitor."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites","Geography"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: ravine mouth / cave-gorge threshold
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 170.48 (investigation of the voices leads to the caged parrot)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At a gorge entrance, the traveler pauses; from within, unseen voices call out ‘a guest has come’ and ‘welcome’, while the vista stretches beyond his line of sight.","item_prompts":["ravine/cave entrance","sound implied by speaking figures off-scene","traveler listening posture","distant landscape vista","threshold symbolism (dark interior vs bright exterior)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic dark cave-mouth with bright exterior; protagonist in attentive stance; speech-scroll motifs or gesturing unseen figures suggested within.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gilded cave threshold; ornate border; implied voices via small attendant figures inside; strong contrast of gold and dark interior.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced chiaroscuro at cave entrance; subtle facial expression of curiosity; distant landscape rendered softly.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative split—bright hillside outside, dark cave inside; tiny figures within greeting; lyrical distance view."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"curious, suspense-tinged narration","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"slightly hushed, attentive"}
FAQs
It preserves conventional Sanskrit hospitality expressions (svāgata, abhyāgata), valuable for philological study of etiquette formulae across Purāṇic and Dharma literature.
A darī-dvāra (ravine/cave entrance) is described; no proper toponym is present.
Hospitality norms are foregrounded through the audible welcome extended to an arriving guest.
Ask anything about this verse
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