Varaha Purana 187.3 — Adhyaya 187, Shloka 3
Determination of the Origin and Procedure of the Ancestral Offering
Pitṛyajña/Śrāddha
पितृयज्ञस्य माहात्म्यं सोमदत्तो नराधिपः ॥ मृगयां समुपागम्य यत्त्वया पूर्वभाषितम् ॥
pitṛyajñasya māhātmyaṁ somadatto narādhipaḥ || mṛgayāṁ samupāgamya yat tvayā pūrvabhāṣitam ||
പിതൃയജ്ഞത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യത്തെക്കുറിച്ച്—മനുഷ്യാധിപനായ സോമദത്ത രാജാവ് മൃഗയയ്ക്ക് പോയപ്പോൾ സംബന്ധിച്ച് നിങ്ങൾ മുമ്പ് പറഞ്ഞതുതന്നെ (ഞാൻ ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നത്).
Pṛthivī (implied continuation of inquiry)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"attentive, recalling prior narration; intent on ritual clarification through exemplum","key_question":"Please return to the previously told episode of King Somadatta (who went hunting) and explain the pitṛyajña’s greatness as illustrated there."}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Pitṛyajña/śrāddha is upheld as a major dharma; narrative exempla (like Somadatta) are invoked to show its obligatory and efficacious nature.","karmic_consequence":"Honoring pitṛs through śrāddha supports lineage welfare and post-mortem benefit; neglect invites ancestral dissatisfaction and decline of merit (implied by the dharma-śāstra interface tag)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics via exemplum (dṛṣṭānta)","core_concept":"Ritual duty toward ancestors is not abstract; it is taught through concrete royal narratives where worldly pursuits (like hunting) intersect with dharma.","practical_application":"Let life’s pursuits (artha/kāma, royal duties) be subordinated to nitya/naimittika obligations like pitṛyajña; use remembered exempla to correct conduct."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual studies","Narrative exempla (itihāsa-style episode)","Kingship ethics"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: narrative locale (rājya/araṇya margin)
Related Themes: Back-reference to an earlier Somadatta episode in the same discourse (explicit ‘pūrvabhāṣitam’)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhūdevī points back to a previously narrated royal episode: King Somadatta, armed for a hunt, becomes the narrative gateway to pitṛyajña’s greatness.","item_prompts":["king with bow","forest edge","attendants/hounds (optional)","a subtle ancestral offering motif (piṇḍa, water vessel) juxtaposed with hunting gear"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: dynamic yet restrained—Somadatta in regal attire with bow at forest margin; inset vignette of śrāddha offering to pitṛs to show contrast.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: iconic king figure with ornate jewelry; a small gold-highlighted śrāddha altar vignette; emphasis on didactic symbolism over realism.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: narrative panel with refined detailing—king departing for hunt while a priestly śrāddha scene appears as a secondary register.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical forest hunt scene with delicate lines; a small domestic courtyard śrāddha scene in corner to indicate the teaching point."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative-referential, instructive","suggested_raga":"Kalyani (for clarity and uplift)","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"measured, slightly emphatic on ‘pitr̥yajñasya māhātmyam’ and ‘pūrvabhāṣitam’"}
FAQs
It signals the use of a royal exemplum (Somadatta) to explain ritual efficacy—an established Purāṇic method for connecting social history, kingship, and dharma practice.
No specific place-name is provided here; the reference is to a narrative setting associated with a hunt.
Ritual responsibility is framed through exemplary conduct: rulers and householders alike are accountable for duties toward ancestors.
Ask anything about this verse
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.