Varaha Purana 8.42 — Adhyaya 8, Shloka 42
Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices
Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna
नमामि विष्णुं त्रिदशारिनाशनं विशालवक्षस्थलसंश्रितश्रियम् । सुषासनं नीतिमतां परां गतिं त्रिविक्रमं मन्दरधारिणं सदा ॥ ८.४२ ॥
namāmi viṣṇuṃ tridaśāri-nāśanaṃ viśāla-vakṣaḥ-sthala-saṃśrita-śriyam | suśāsanaṃ nīti-matāṃ parāṃ gatiṃ trivikramaṃ mandara-dhāriṇaṃ sadā || 8.42 ||
Aku bersujud kepada Viṣṇu, pemusnah musuh para dewa, yang pada dada-Nya yang luas bersemayam Śrī (kemuliaan). Senantiasa aku bersujud kepada-Nya sebagai pemerintah yang luhur, tujuan tertinggi bagi mereka yang berpegang pada nīti; kepada Trivikrama, pemangku Mandara.
Varāha (default attribution within the Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework; explicit speaker not stated in the excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None (stuti to Viṣṇu within Varāha–Pṛthivī narrative frame)."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"receptive listener","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"General Vaiṣṇava theology; no explicit Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa marker in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Upholds nīti/dharma as the path of the righteous, with Viṣṇu as the supreme refuge for nītimat (those devoted to right conduct).","karmic_consequence":"Alignment with nīti leads to ‘parā gati’ (highest refuge); deviation implies loss of that refuge (implied)."}
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":"theology of refuge / dharma-centered devotion","core_concept":"Viṣṇu is both protector (destroyer of divine foes) and the ‘parā gati’ for those grounded in nīti; prosperity (Śrī) abides in him.","practical_application":"Cultivate nīti (ethical governance/rightness) and take refuge in Viṣṇu through daily praṇāma and remembrance of his līlās (Trivikrama, Mandara)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship and good governance","Vaishnava theology","Poetic eulogy (stuti)"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: None
Related Themes: Stotra sequence (8.8.42–45) as a continuous hymn
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotional bow to Viṣṇu visualized with Śrī on his broad chest; hints of Trivikrama’s cosmic stride and Mandara-bearing episode.","item_prompts":["Viṣṇu with Śrīvatsa/Śrī seated at chest","cakra and śaṅkha","three-step motif (three worlds)","Mandara mountain and churning ocean vignette","defeated asura figures (enemies of devas) subdued"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Viṣṇu frontal with Śrī on vakṣas, flanking mini-panels of Trivikrama stride and Mandara at samudra-manthana, bold outlines, saturated reds/greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Viṣṇu with heavy gold ornamentation, prominent Śrīvatsa and Śrī, embossed Mandara vignette, radiant halo, rich jewel tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant Viṣṇu portrait with refined jewelry, subtle Trivikrama footstep symbolism in background, soft ocean-churning scene behind.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical Trivikrama scene with expansive sky and three worlds, Viṣṇu central; Mandara and ocean rendered as poetic side narrative."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional and dignified","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, reverent, slightly elevated for epithets"}
FAQs
It exemplifies a Purāṇic stuti style that integrates theology with social ideals—here, portraying Viṣṇu not only as a cosmic figure (Trivikrama; Mandara-bearer) but also as an archetype of legitimate, ethical rulership (suśāsana), reflecting the Purāṇas’ role in transmitting cultural-political ethics alongside mythic narrative.
No specific terrestrial sacred site is named in this verse. The term “Mandara” refers to the mythic mountain Mandara associated with cosmic events (notably the churning narrative tradition), functioning here as a cosmological reference rather than a clearly mappable historical location.
The verse elevates nīti (ethical conduct/policy) and suśāsana (good governance) as normative ideals, presenting the ‘highest refuge’ (parā gati) as aligned with right conduct—an ethical framing embedded within devotional praise rather than a direct command.
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