Varaha Purana 180.2: Adhyaya 180, Shloka 2
The Glory of Dhruva-Tīrtha: Rules of Ancestor Libations and Śrāddha, and the Consequences of Lineage-Continuity
Pūrva Bhāga · Royal exempla (Dāna, yajña, and dharmic kingship)
अस्यां पुर्यां तु राजा आसीद्धार्मिकः सत्यविक्रमः ॥ चन्द्रसेनेति नाम्ना च यज्वा दानहिते रतः
asyāṁ puryāṁ tu rājāsīd dhārmikaḥ satyavikramaḥ || candraseneti nāmnā ca yajvā dānahite rataḥ
asyAM puryAM tu rAjAsIddhArmikaH satyavikramaH|| chandraseneti nAmnA cha yajvA dAnahite rataH
Di kota ini ada seorang raja—berpegang pada dharma dan berani dengan keberanian yang benar—bernama Candrasena; baginda seorang pelaksana yajña dan tekun dalam amalan dana (sedekah) demi kebajikan.
Sandhi Notes
- आसीद्धार्मिकः = आसीत् + धार्मिकः (त् + ध → द्ध)
- चन्द्रसेनेति = चन्द्रसेन + इति (सवर्णदीर्घ/एति लेखन)
Varāha
Attentive
Dharma is not abstract: it is enacted through truthful courage, sacrificial responsibility, and generosity oriented to loka-hita.
Leaders should combine integrity (satya), courage (vikrama), ritual responsibility (yajña), and philanthropy (dāna) for social welfare.
Varāha continues the didactic narrative for Bhū-devī, introducing a dhārmika king as exemplar within the tīrtha-episode.
Ideal kingship is characterized by dharma, satya-vikrama (truthful valor), yajña-performance, and dāna for public good.
Such rājadharma yields fame, stability, and merit; deviation leads to decline and loss of dharmic legitimacy (implied by exemplar framing).
Dhruva-tīrtha narrative arc (king as protagonist)
FAQs
It provides a classic Purāṇic ‘exemplary king’ profile—linking sovereignty with yajña and dāna—useful for studying normative political ethics in Sanskrit narrative.
The verse references “this city” without naming it; the location must be inferred from the broader Dhruva-tīrtha narrative context.
It promotes an ethical model of rulership grounded in righteousness, ritual responsibility, and public welfare through generosity.
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