Varaha Purana 48.18: Adhyaya 48, Shloka 18
The Kalki Dvādaśī Observance and the Episode of King Viśāla
वामनस्तु ततो जातो जामदग्न्यो महाबलः । पुनर्दाशरथिर्भूत्वा वासुदेवः पुनर्बभौ ॥ ४८.१८ ॥
vāmanas tu tato jāto jāmadagnyo mahābalaḥ | punar dāśarathir bhūtvā vāsudevaḥ punar babhau || 48.18 ||
Kemudian lahirlah Vāmana; lalu Jāmadagnya yang maha perkasa (Paraśurāma). Sekali lagi, setelah menjadi putera Daśaratha (Rāma), Vāsudeva pun menampakkan diri kembali.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"listener/attentive; receiving avatāra-sequencing instruction","key_question":"How does the one Hari manifest across successive avatāras and epithets in time?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Implicit: “Vāsudeva” points to Kṛṣṇa as a later manifestation, but no Mathurā-site is named."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"The verse is a doxographic avatāra-list (Vāmana–Paraśurāma–Rāma–Vāsudeva), not a Yajña-Varāha mapping.","vedantic_connection":"Identity-in-difference theme: one Bhagavān appearing through multiple upādhis (names/lineages), supporting ekatva of Hari across forms."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of avatāra (eka-deva, bahu-rūpa)","core_concept":"One Hari manifests repeatedly for cosmic purposes; epithets mark function and lineage, not different deities.","practical_application":"Cultivate smṛti of Hari’s continuity across narratives; worship can be oriented to the same Lord through diverse forms."}
Subject Matter: ["Vaishnava avatāra traditions","Itihāsa-Purāṇa narrative sequencing","Genealogical/epithet-based identification"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: pan-Indic sacred geography (implicit)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 48.48.19-22 (continuation of avatāra taxonomy and purposes)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as teacher enumerates successive avatāras—Vāmana, Paraśurāma, Rāma, and Vāsudeva—like a genealogical/theological roll-call.","item_prompts":["Varāha seated in discourse posture","scroll or palm-leaf manuscript motif","miniature vignettes: Vāmana with umbrella, Paraśurāma with axe, Rāma with bow, Vāsudeva with conch/discus"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha in calm teaching stance, warm ochres/greens; four small narrative medallions around him for the avatāras.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Varāha with ornate arch; gold-leaf halos for Vāmana/Paraśurāma/Rāma/Vāsudeva in corner panels.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined linework; Varāha as guru; delicate inset scenes with identifying weapons (parasu, dhanus, śaṅkha-cakra).","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical landscape; Varāha instructing; avatāras as small floating icons with bright garments and clear attributes."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, declarative","suggested_raga":"Śāntakalyāṇi / Yaman (for a composed, luminous tone)","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, authoritative, narrative"}
FAQs
It provides a compact Purāṇic catalogue of major avatāra-identities using epithets (e.g., Jāmadagnya, Dāśarathi), reflecting how Sanskrit narrative traditions summarize large mytho-historical cycles through lineage-markers and well-known names.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse; it is primarily a sequence of avatāra identifications rather than a sacred-geography passage.
The verse does not state a direct ethical injunction; its philosophical function is classificatory—presenting continuity of divine manifestation across eras, a common Purāṇic framework used to contextualize dharma narratives in different times.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.