Varaha Purana 170.46 — Adhyaya 170, Shloka 46

The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship

including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics

Devanagari script

आगत्य पितरौ मह्यं विशेषं तौ करिष्यतः ॥ अतिथेरागतस्येह पूजाया विमुखो भवेत् ॥

Transliteration

āgatya pitarau mahyaṁ viśeṣaṁ tau kariṣyataḥ || atither āgatasyeha pūjāyā vimukho bhavet

Translation

“ഇവിടെ വന്ന അതിഥിയെ ഞാൻ സ്വീകരിച്ച് പൂജിച്ചാൽ, എന്റെ രണ്ടു പിതൃകൾ വന്ന് എനിക്ക് വിശേഷഫലം നൽകും; എന്നാൽ ഇവിടെ എത്തിയ അതിഥിയുടെ പൂജയിൽ നിന്ന് മുഖം തിരിക്കുന്നവൻ ദോഷിയാകും.”

Word by Word

• āgatya: having come
• āgatya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √gam with ā- prefix; indeclinable

• pitarau: (two) fathers/parents
• pitarau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Dual

• mahyam: for me
• mahyam: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; 1st person pronoun

• viśeṣam: a special (honor/service)
• viśeṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Dual; demonstrative pronoun

• kariṣyataḥ: will do
• kariṣyataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 3rd person (प्रथम), Dual; Parasmaipada

• atitheḥ: of a guest
• atitheḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• āgatasya: who has come/arrived
• āgatasya: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Past active participle used adjectivally (क्त), Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; from √gam with ā-; qualifies atithi

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• pūjāyāḥ: of worship/honoring
• pūjāyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• vimukhaḥ: averse/turned away
• vimukhaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective

• bhavet: would be / should become
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथम), Singular; Parasmaipada

Speaker

Śuka (the parrot, continuing the instruction)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Honoring an arrived guest supports the pitṛs; turning away from atithi-pūjā is a culpable fault (doṣa).","karmic_consequence":"Proper reception yields ‘viśeṣa’ benefit mediated through ancestors; refusal incurs blame/sin (expanded as naraka in next verse)."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-pitṛ-sambandha","core_concept":"Atithi-sevā is karmically linked to pitṛ-loka welfare; social ethics and unseen worlds interpenetrate.","practical_application":"Treat guest-honor as part of daily śrāddha-like responsibility: do not postpone, do not refuse."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 170.52-53 (naraka and merit-transfer logic)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Śuka teaches that honoring the guest brings ancestral favor; refusal is shown as a moral lapse with shadowed consequence.","item_prompts":["parrot as teacher","subtle depiction of pitṛs (ancestral figures) in background aura","guest at doorway","host hesitating vs welcoming gesture","contrast of light (honor) and shade (refusal)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: symbolic pitṛs in faint haloed register above, Śuka instructing with composed hand/wing gesture, ethical contrast through color fields.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold halo motifs for pitṛs, rich doorway arch, didactic central grouping with luminous ‘benefit’ side.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: restrained, elegant figures; pitṛ presence suggested via soft glow; emphasis on facial expression of moral choice.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative split-panel feel—welcome scene vs turning-away scene; pitṛs as pale celestial witnesses."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory","suggested_raga":"Dhanyāsi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm, instructive, slightly grave"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Hospitality Ethics
• Ancestral Rites

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It connects hospitality with ancestral welfare, a recurring ethical rationale in Dharmaśāstra-adjacent passages, illustrating social values around guests and lineage.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic identifier appears in this verse; it is ethical and ritual in focus.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Do not refuse to honor an arrived guest; hospitality is framed as ethically consequential and linked to ancestral benefit.