Varaha Purana 6.8: Adhyaya 6, Shloka 8
The Puṇḍarīkākṣapāraka Hymn and Puṣkara Tīrtha: The Account of King Vasu’s Release from Sin
पुण्डरीकाक्षपारं तु स्तवं भक्त्या जपन् बुधः । आरिराधयिषुर्देवं नारायणमकल्मषम् । स्तोत्रान्ते तल्लयं प्राप्तः स राजा राजसत्तमः ॥ ६.८ ॥
puṇḍarīkākṣapāraṃ tu stavaṃ bhaktyā japan budhaḥ | ārirādhayiṣur devaṃ nārāyaṇam akalmaṣam | stotrānte tallayaṃ prāptaḥ sa rājā rājasattamaḥ || 6.8 ||
निष्पाप भगवान नारायणाची आराधना करण्याची इच्छा धरणाऱ्या त्या बुद्धिमान राजाने 'पुण्डरीकाक्षपार' स्तोत्राचा भक्तीने जप केला आणि स्तोत्राच्या शेवटी तो श्रेष्ठ राजा त्यांच्यात विलीन झाला.
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; explicit speaker not present in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Implicit via Nārāyaṇa/Vaiṣṇava devotion; no Mathurā-līlā marker in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The stotra functions as a ‘pāra’ (crossing) over saṃsāra: nāma-japa and bhakti become the ritual-boat leading to laya (absorption) in Nārāyaṇa.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Stotra-japa as inner-yajña: mantra = oblation; mind = altar; devotion = clarified butter; the ‘end of the hymn’ marks completion of the inner sacrifice culminating in union.","vedantic_connection":"Bhakti culminating in sāyujya/laya resonates with non-dual leaning expressions (absorption) while retaining Vaiṣṇava theism (propitiation of Nārāyaṇa)."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-soteriology","core_concept":"Devotional recitation with single-pointed intent can culminate in laya in the stainless Nārāyaṇa.","practical_application":"Adopt regular stotra-japa with bhakti and ethical purity; complete recitation with focused mind (ekāgratā) rather than mechanical chanting."}
Subject Matter: ["Devotional Practice","Soteriology (Liberation Concepts)","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: tapas-sthāna/tīrtha-like retreat
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 6.6.9-11 (Dharaṇī asks about the stotra; Varāha begins the hymn)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king sits in devotion, chanting a hymn to Nārāyaṇa; as the hymn concludes, his form becomes still, suggesting samādhi/absorption into divine radiance.","item_prompts":["seated devotee with rosary","subtle aura/light enveloping him","Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa presence as vision or symbolic śaṅkha-cakra","quiet forest/cave setting","scripture palm-leaf or mental recitation gesture"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Depict Nārāyaṇa as a luminous presence with śaṅkha-cakra; devotee in añjali; saturated colors with calm symmetry.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-leaf halo around Nārāyaṇa; devotee smaller in foreground; ornate but serene composition emphasizing divine absorption.","mysore_prompt":"Refined facial expressions; soft glow effect at the moment of laya; detailed textiles minimal to keep ascetic tone.","pahari_prompt":"Ethereal mist and light; delicate lines; Nārāyaṇa appearing in the sky/heart-lotus motif; tranquil landscape."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional, inward-turning","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"soft, reverent, gradually hushed toward the end"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic literary pattern where recitation of a stotra (hymn) is presented as a formal practice with a stated result (phala), illustrating how devotion and textual performance were framed within Sanskrit religious culture.
No geographic site is named in this verse; the focus is on ritual-literary practice (stotra recitation) and its stated outcome.
The verse foregrounds disciplined devotional practice—recitation with bhakti (devotion) and intent to honor the divine—as a valued mode of conduct, expressed in neutral terms as a philosophical instruction about focused reverence and moral purity (akalmaṣa).
Ask anything about this verse
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