Varaha Purana 170.54: Adhyaya 170, Shloka 54
The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship
including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics
शुकस्य विप्रियं यादृङ् महर्षेस्तु तपस्यतः ।। सुमेरोरुत्तरे पार्श्वे महर्षिगणसेविते
śukasya vipriyaṃ yādṛṅ maharṣes tu tapasyataḥ || sumeror uttare pārśve maharṣigaṇa-sevite
Di lereng utara Gunung Sumeru, tempat yang sering diziarahi dan dilayani oleh rombongan para maharṣi, Śuka telah melakukan perbuatan yang tidak disenangi—suatu kesalahan—terhadap seorang Ṛṣi agung yang tekun bertapa.
Narrator (defaults to Varāha framework when unspecified)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"observer"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Offense against a tapasvin/mahārṣi is a grave ethical breach; one must avoid displeasing ascetics and honor their austerity and sanctity.","karmic_consequence":"Disrespecting or harming ascetics leads to severe demerit and suffering; honoring them brings protection, merit, and spiritual uplift."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of sanctity (pavitrata) and karmic sensitivity","core_concept":"Places and persons charged with tapas amplify moral consequences; reverence toward realized beings safeguards one’s own dharma.","practical_application":"In tīrthas/āśramas: restrain speech, avoid arrogance, serve ascetics, and treat their practices as inviolable."}
Subject Matter: ["Sacred geography","Ascetic culture","Ethics (offense against an ascetic)"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mythic sacred mountain/ascetic resort
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 170.58 (confession preface); Varāha Purāṇa 170.60+ (implied continuation: details of the offense and its fallout)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A panoramic sacred-geography tableau: the northern slope of Mount Sumeru, luminous and serene, populated by groups of sages in austerity; the narrative foreshadows an impending offense by Śuka.","item_prompts":["towering golden/bright Mount Sumeru","snowy or radiant northern slope","clusters of meditating sages","deer/peacocks in hermitage grove","a lone figure (Śuka) approaching"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized Meru as a radiant mountain; rows of tapasvins with matted hair; sacred grove motifs; balanced, iconic composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Meru rendered as a central gilded mountain; sages with halos; gold-leaf emphasis on the mountain’s radiance and ascetic aura.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: detailed landscape with refined sages; soft glow around hermitage; classical restraint.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical Himalayan-like slope; delicate trees and sages; narrative figure approaching from the side, setting up the moral episode."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"awe-struck, ominous, descriptive","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"deep, resonant, foreboding"}
FAQs
It situates ethics within sacred geography: mythic landscapes like Sumeru function as narrative stages for ascetic authority and moral causality.
Mount Sumeru (Sumeru), specifically its northern slope (uttara pārśva), a key locus in Purāṇic cosmography.
It frames the seriousness of actions that disturb ascetic practice, preparing a lesson on restraint and respect toward practitioners of tapas.
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.