Varaha Purana 145.47: Adhyaya 145, Shloka 47
The Greatness of the Śālagrāma Sacred Region
तत्र शङ्खप्रभं नाम गुह्यं क्षेत्रं परं मम॥ श्रूयते शङ्खशब्दश्च द्वादश्यामर्द्धरात्रके॥
tatra śaṅkhaprabhaṃ nāma guhyaṃ kṣetraṃ paraṃ mama || śrūyate śaṅkhaśabdaś ca dvādaśyām arddharātrake
Di sana ada tempat bernama Śaṅkhaprabha, kṣetra-Ku yang tertinggi dan bersifat rahsia. Pada tithi Dvādaśī, tepat tengah malam, turut kedengaran bunyi śaṅkha (sangkakala).
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha speaks as kṣetra-pati, revealing his own guhyatama (confidential) sacred geography to Bhū-devī/listeners."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, receptive","key_question":"Which are your supreme, secret kṣetras on Earth, and what signs mark their hidden presence?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Śaṅkhaprabha-kṣetra","parikrama_context":"Implied tīrtha-yātrā/visitation rather than explicit parikramā; the verse functions as a waypoint in a sacred itinerary.","krishna_connection":"Indirect Vaiṣṇava sacrality via conch-auspice; no explicit Kṛṣṇa-līlā foreshadowing."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Dvādaśī-rātri-śravaṇa/saṅkha-śabda-darśana (tīrtha-niyama)","tithi_month":"Dvādaśī (12th lunar day), at ardharātra (midnight); month not specified","promised_fruit":"Auspicious contact with the kṣetra’s hidden sign (conch-sound), implying heightened tīrtha-phala and Viṣṇu-anugraha."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The conch-sound at midnight signals Viṣṇu’s unseen sovereignty over space-time; the ‘guhya kṣetra’ mirrors the ‘guhā’ (heart-cave) where the Lord is realized.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Śaṅkha as śabda-brahman/veda-dhvani; midnight as sandhi-kāla (liminal ritual time) when the unseen becomes audible.","vedantic_connection":"Śabda (conch/veda) as pramāṇa leading from external tīrtha to inner realization; ‘guhya’ aligns with upaniṣadic ‘guhā-hita’ Brahman."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tīrtha-rahasya and sacred phenomenology","core_concept":"Divine presence is known through subtle signs (śabda, kāla-sandhi) and through the Lord’s self-disclosure.","practical_application":"Observe sacred times (Dvādaśī, midnight) with purity and attentiveness; approach tīrthas as living revelations, not mere locations."}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Geography","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: kṣetra/tīrtha
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 145.53–56 (continuation of kṣetra-listing and hydrological markers)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moonlit sacred grove/riverbank labeled Śaṅkhaprabha; at midnight on Dvādaśī, an unseen conch-sound ripples through the air as Varāha indicates the hidden kṣetra.","item_prompts":["night sky with full/bright moon","subtle sound-waves or conch motif in the air","Varāha as divine instructor (not necessarily boar-bodied) pointing to the site","tīrtha markers: trees, small shrine, river edge","pilgrims listening in reverence"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural palette; Varāha as majestic Vaiṣṇava teacher beside a dark-blue night river; stylized sound-waves with śaṅkha emblem; ornate vegetation and temple-lamp accents.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold-leaf halo around Varāha; embossed śaṅkha motif; midnight-blue background; jewel-toned shrine elements.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting finesse; delicate linework; soft moonlight; Varāha gesturing toward a small kṣetra shrine; conch motif subtly in clouds.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature: cool nocturne tones, rolling landscape, small pilgrims; conch-sound shown as white curling lines; intimate sacred spot."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"mysterious, reverential","suggested_raga":"Mālkauns","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"hushed, resonant, emphasizing ‘guhya’ and ‘arddharātrake’"}
FAQs
It documents a site characterized not only by geography but by an auditory sign and calendrical timing, typical of Purāṇic techniques for sacralizing place through recurring phenomena.
The verse names “Śaṅkhaprabha” as a kṣetra. The excerpt does not supply further coordinates, so the identification remains textual rather than cartographic.
It implies attentiveness to time (tithi and midnight) and observance patterns associated with a heritage site, emphasizing disciplined participation.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.