Varaha Purana 170.47 — Adhyaya 170, Shloka 47
The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship
including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics
गृहस्थस्तस्य पितरो वसन्ति नरके ध्रुवम् ॥ पूजिते पूजिताः स्वर्गे मोदन्ते कालमक्षयम् ॥
gṛhasthas tasya pitaro vasanti narake dhruvam || pūjite pūjitāḥ svarge modante kālam akṣayam
“അതിഥിയെ പൂജിക്കാത്ത ഗൃഹസ്ഥന്റെ പിതൃകൾ നിശ്ചയമായി നരകത്തിൽ വസിക്കും; എന്നാൽ അതിഥി പൂജിക്കപ്പെടുമ്പോൾ അവർ സ്വർഗത്തിൽ പൂജിതരായി അക്ഷയകാലം ആനന്ദിക്കും.”
Śuka (the parrot, didactic speech)
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":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"narakas","instruction_summary":"If a householder fails to honor the guest, his pitṛs fall to naraka; if the guest is honored, the pitṛs are honored in svarga and rejoice long.","karmic_consequence":"Neglect → certain naraka for ancestors (as stated); honor → svarga rejoicing ‘kālam akṣayam’ (enduring heavenly satisfaction)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethical-cosmology","core_concept":"Private acts (hospitality) have transpersonal effects across generations and lokas.","practical_application":"Make atithi-pūjā non-negotiable; treat it as protecting one’s lineage and spiritual welfare."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 170.53 (merit/demerit transfer mechanism); Varāha Purāṇa 170.54 (atithi as Viṣṇu)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moral-vision tableau: neglected guest at the threshold causes pitṛs to suffer in a dark naraka; honored guest leads to pitṛs rejoicing in bright svarga.","item_prompts":["two-tier cosmology (narka below, svarga above)","pitṛ figures in distress vs joy","guest at doorway","householder offering seat/water","light-dark contrast"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: layered registers—lower dark naraka band, upper luminous svarga band; central gṛhastha scene linking both; strong color symbolism.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: svarga rendered with gold radiance; pitṛs with halos; naraka subdued but clear; central hospitality act emphasized.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined allegory with soft transitions; expressive pitṛ faces; emphasis on ethical causality rather than horror.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: miniature-like stacked scenes; delicate svarga architecture; stylized naraka; narrative clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave-warning to uplifting","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"solemn on naraka lines, brightened on svarga lines"}
FAQs
It exemplifies a moral-causal framework used in Purāṇic ethics: household obligations are reinforced by consequences tied to ancestors and post-mortem destinies.
None; the verse is normative-ethical rather than topographical.
A householder should honor guests; neglect is presented as bringing severe negative consequences, while honoring yields enduring benefit.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.