Varaha Purana 17.4 — Adhyaya 17, Shloka 4
King Prajāpāla’s Visit to Sage Mahātapā’s Hermitage and the Doctrinal Praise of Nārāyaṇa
आसीद् राजा महाबाहुरादौ कृतयुगे पुरा । श्रुतकीर्तिरिति ख्यातस्त्रैलोक्ये बलवत्तरः ॥ १७.४ ॥
āsīd rājā mahābāhur ādau kṛtayuge purā | śrutakīrtir iti khyātas trailokye balavattaraḥ || 17.4 ||
Pada permulaan zaman Kṛta Yuga yang purba, ada seorang raja yang perkasa lengannya; beliau masyhur dengan nama Śrutakīrti, yang terkuat di seluruh tiga alam.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None (Varāha narrates past kingship in Kṛta-yuga)."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"attentive","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
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":"yuga-dharma framing","core_concept":"Human capacities and social order vary by yuga; Kṛta-yuga is portrayed as an apex where exceptional strength and fame align with cosmic harmony.","practical_application":"Interpret historical claims in Purāṇas through yuga-context; emulate Kṛta-yuga ideals—truthfulness, restraint, and protection—within one’s current conditions."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Historical Narrative","Kingship"]
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mythic time-frame
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 17.17.5 (his son’s naming and succession)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A primordial-age king Śrutakīrti is depicted as mighty-armed and unrivaled across the three worlds, set against a timeless Kṛta-yuga aura.","item_prompts":["heroic king with broad arms (mahābāhu)","three-world emblem (three-tier cosmos)","ancient royal regalia","banner reading ‘Śrutakīrti’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: frontal heroic king with exaggerated arms, stylized three-world motif behind; saturated reds/greens and ornate jewelry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: king on throne with gold embossing; three-world halo medallion; rich textiles and gem-like detailing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined portrait of the king with subtle musculature; cosmic backdrop softly painted; dignified stillness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: king in a palace terrace with symbolic three-tier landscape (earth, mid-sky, heaven) in the background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"heroic-narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, resonant, slightly elevated on ‘kṛtayuge’ and ‘trailokye’"}
FAQs
It introduces a paradigmatic ruler placed in the Kṛta Yuga, a common Purāṇic strategy for framing exemplary kingship within an idealized primordial era.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it situates the narrative temporally (Kṛta Yuga) and cosmologically (the three worlds) rather than by place-name.
Implicitly, the verse foregrounds ideal rulership—strength paired with renown—serving as a narrative setup for later moral or dharmic exemplification rather than stating a direct injunction.
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