Varaha Purana 13.59: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 59
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma-prayoga (Ritual Procedure) and Lokapāla-invocation
सर्वाभावे वनं गत्वा कक्षामूलप्रदर्शकः । सूर्यादिलोकपालानामिदमुच्चैः पठिष्यति ॥ १३.५९ ॥
sarvābhāve vanaṃ gatvā kakṣāmūla-pradarśakaḥ | sūryādi-lokapālānām idam uccaiḥ paṭhiṣyati || 13.59 ||
sarvAbhAve vanaM gatvA kakShAmUlapradarshakaH | sUryAdilokapAlAnAmidamuchchaiH paThiShyati || 13.59 ||
При полном отсутствии всяких средств, отправившись в лес, тот, кто укажет корень растения какша (kakṣā), произнесёт это громко для Сурьи и прочих хранителей мира (локапал).
Sandhi Notes
- कक्षामूलप्रदर्शकः = कक्षा + मूल + प्रदर्शकः
- सूर्यादिलोकपालानाम् = सूर्य + आदि + लोकपालानाम्
- लोकपालानामिदम् = लोकपालानाम् + इदम्
Varāha
When all ritual supports fail, what emergency recitation or act preserves dharma and invokes cosmic guardians?
When external means collapse, dharma is maintained through truthful effort, relocation to a sattvic space, and mantra/recitation as offering.
In hardship, keep a minimal daily discipline: choose a clean quiet place, recite with clarity and intention, and dedicate the act to cosmic order.
Lokapāla-invocation under scarcity reflects the Purāṇic idea that cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) is upheld by speech (vāc) when material yajña is impossible.
Recitation as ‘inner offering’ to Sūrya and dikpālas; forest as tapas-field replacing the household altar.
Prioritizes antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi (inner purity) and bhāva; karma becomes effective through intention and sacred sound when dravya is absent.
In total lack of means, go to a forest setting and perform an emergency, aloud recitation addressed to Sūrya and other lokapālas as a substitute support.
Such fallback observance preserves continuity of duty and mitigates omission-fault; willful abandonment without substitute accrues demerit.
13.13.60-61 (bhakti-based śrāddha completion)
FAQs
It preserves a procedural motif common in Purāṇic and Dharmaśāstra-adjacent literature: when resources are lacking, a simplified rite is performed in a natural setting (the forest), emphasizing recitation and intention over material requisites.
No explicit toponym is given; the setting is generically “the forest” (vana), functioning as a ritual space rather than a uniquely identifiable geographic site.
The verse conveys an ethic of adaptability and restraint: in conditions of scarcity, one should proceed with a minimal, non-extractive practice centered on disciplined speech (aloud recitation) rather than elaborate material consumption.
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