Varaha Purana 17.47 — Adhyaya 17, Shloka 47
King Prajāpāla’s Visit to Sage Mahātapā’s Hermitage and the Doctrinal Praise of Nārāyaṇa
ततो विष्णुर्मनो ब्रूयान्नायं देहो मया विना । क्षणमप्युत्सहेत् स्थातुमित्युक्त्वाऽन्तर्दधे पुनः ॥ १७.४७ ॥
tato viṣṇur mano brūyān nāyaṁ deho mayā vinā | kṣaṇam apy utsahet sthātum ity uktvā ’ntardadhe punaḥ || 17.47 ||
Kemudian Viṣṇu berkata: “Tubuh ini tidak mampu bertahan walau sesaat pun tanpa Aku.” Setelah berkata demikian, Baginda pun lenyap kembali.
Varāha (Viṣṇu as instructor, defaulted to primary dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"What sustains the body’s moment-to-moment endurance, and can it exist independently of Viṣṇu?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology_of_dependence","core_concept":"The body (and by extension the cosmos) cannot endure even an instant without Viṣṇu as inner sustainer (antar-yāmin).","practical_application":"Shift identity from body to the sustaining Lord; cultivate remembrance (smaraṇa) and humility about embodied agency."}
Subject Matter: ["Philosophy of embodiment","Theology (narrative voice in Purāṇic literature)","Ethics (dependence and impermanence)","Textual narrative structure"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 17.17.46 (preceding withdrawal claim); Varāha Purāṇa 17.17.48-50 (Dharma and Śambhu’s subsequent statements)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Viṣṇu addresses the assembled powers, declaring the body cannot stand without him; immediately after speaking, he vanishes—leaving a charged emptiness.","item_prompts":["Viṣṇu with calm authoritative gesture","attendant deities/powers listening","a body or cosmic-person figure as the ‘deha’ reference","a fading aura as Viṣṇu disappears","space left luminous where he stood"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Viṣṇu in deep blue with conch/discus implied, speaking; stylized ‘vanishing’ shown by dissolving outline into a halo; warm background, strong linework.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Viṣṇu with gold crown and heavy gold-leaf aura; disappearance depicted as a gold-to-blank gradient; ornate framing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: soft, elegant Viṣṇu figure; subtle transparency effect as he ‘antardadhe’; restrained devotional mood.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: slender Viṣṇu in a courtly setting; the moment of disappearance rendered poetically with a pale wash and empty space."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic yet inward","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm, sovereign, concluding"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative technique where a divine speaker asserts agency over embodied existence and then performs antardhāna (withdrawal/disappearance), reinforcing the text’s didactic, dialogic structure.
No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse fragment; it functions primarily as a narrative-philosophical statement rather than a sacred-geography marker.
The verse foregrounds the contingency of embodied life—stability and endurance are presented as dependent upon a sustaining principle—encouraging reflection on impermanence and the limits of bodily autonomy.
Ask anything about this verse
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