Varaha Purana 151.72 — Adhyaya 151, Shloka 72
The Sacred Greatness of Lohārgala
The ‘Iron-Bolt’ Tīrtha
न तस्य कर्म विद्येत स एवमपि संस्थितः ॥ आख्यानानां महाख्यानं धर्माणां धर्म उत्तमः ॥
na tasya karma vidyeta sa evamapi saṃsthitaḥ || ākhyānānāṃ mahākhyānaṃ dharmāṇāṃ dharma uttamaḥ
Bagi dirinya, tiada lagi karma yang mengikat—demikian dia teguh bersemadi. Inilah mahākhyāna di antara segala kisah, dan dharma yang paling utama di antara segala dharma.
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha teaches Bhū-devī the liberative status of the teaching: the listener/knower becomes karma-free; the narrative is supreme dharma."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"attentive; seeking assurance about efficacy and dharma-status","key_question":"What is the ultimate standing of this teaching—does it destroy binding karma, and why is it called the highest dharma?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Establishment in this mahākhyāna is declared to leave no binding karma; it is proclaimed the highest dharma.","karmic_consequence":"Following (reciting/hearing/being established in) it leads to karmic non-binding and elevation to supreme dharma-status; neglect implies continued karmic bondage (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"promised_fruit":"Karma-kṣaya / akarma-bhāva (non-binding action) through establishment in the teaching."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Varāha as the revealer of ‘uttama-dharma’ aligns with the Purāṇic move from ritual merit (karma) to liberative knowledge/devotion where karma no longer binds.","vedantic_connection":"Echoes the Vedāntic distinction between karma that binds and realization/steadfastness (niṣṭhā) that burns karma; ‘dharma among dharmas’ suggests parama-dharma as bhakti/jñāna leading to mokṣa."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"mokṣa-dharma (para-dharma)","core_concept":"When one is firmly established in the highest teaching, karma ceases to bind; the narrative functions as a vehicle of parama-dharma.","practical_application":"Cultivate niṣṭhā through disciplined hearing/recitation and internalization so actions no longer generate bondage (act as offering/with knowledge)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Philosophy","Textual Tradition"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: textual/teaching context (mahākhyāna)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 151.82–83 (restricted transmission; recitation/hearing; family deliverance; death-remembrance)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha declares the teaching to be the greatest narrative and the highest dharma, depicting the dissolution of karmic bonds around the devotee.","item_prompts":["Varāha teaching posture","subtle ‘karmic chains’ dissolving around a listener","palm-leaf manuscript or śāstra bundle labeled ‘mahākhyāna’","a radiant dharma-emblem (dharmacakra or śrīvatsa-like aura)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha with serene gaze, manuscript motif, stylized bonds melting into light around a devotee; deep reds/ochres with green accents.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold haloed Varāha, embossed manuscript and ornamental ‘chains’ turning into lotus motifs; strong symmetry and icon-like presentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: gentle chiaroscuro, refined expressions; symbolic karma-bonds fading, manuscript detail emphasized.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate satsanga scene under a tree or pavilion; Varāha as teacher, listeners with softened faces; delicate symbolic bonds dissolving into clouds."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"steady, assured, emphasizing ‘na tasya karma’ and ‘dharma uttamaḥ’"}
FAQs
It illustrates Purāṇic self-referential elevation (declaring a passage ‘greatest’) and provides evidence for how texts claim authority within a competitive manuscript culture.
No new terrestrial toponym appears here; the verse functions as a doctrinal colophon-like praise within the ongoing kṣetra narrative.
It highlights an ethical ideal of being ‘established’ (saṃsthita) in a mode of life where binding consequences are said to be neutralized—presented as a soteriological claim.
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.