Varaha Purana 209.12 — Adhyaya 209, Shloka 12

Description of the Greatness of the Pativratā

Marital Fidelity and Ethical Devotion

Devanagari script

भर्तारमनुशोचन्ती मृत्युद्वारं न पश्यति ॥ गीतवादित्रनृत्यानि प्रेक्षणीयान्यनेकशः ॥

Transliteration

bhartāramanuśocantī mṛtyudvāraṃ na paśyati || gītavāditranṛtyāni prekṣaṇīyānyanekaśaḥ ||

Translation

Скорбя (или глубоко тоскуя) по мужу, она не видит «врат смерти». Песни, музыкальные инструменты и танцы — многие виды зрелищ, достойных созерцания,—

Word by Word

• bhartāram: (her) husband
• bhartāram: Karma (कर्म) of anuśocantī
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā Ekavacana

• anuśocantī: lamenting for
• anuśocantī: Karta (implicit) / viśeṣaṇa of sā (she)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuśocantī (कृदन्त; √śuc शुच् with anu-)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā Ekavacana; Vartamāna-kṛdanta (present participle)

• mṛtyu-dvāram: the door of death
• mṛtyu-dvāram: Karma (कर्म) of paśyati
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक) + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa 'mṛtyoḥ dvāram'

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha particle

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्) (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ Vartamāna, Prathama-puruṣa Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• gīta-vāditra-nṛtyāni: songs, instruments, and dances
• gīta-vāditra-nṛtyāni: Karta (subject) of implied predicate (are to be seen)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + vāditra (प्रातिपदिक) + nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Prathamā (प्रथमा) Bahuvacana; itaretara-dvandva (copulative)

• prekṣaṇīyāni: worth seeing / to be watched
• prekṣaṇīyāni: Viśeṣaṇa of gīta-vāditra-nṛtyāni
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prekṣaṇīya (कृदन्त; √īkṣ ईक्ष् with pra-)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Prathamā Bahuvacana; Gerundive (तव्यत्/अनीयर् sense) = 'to be seen'

• anekaśaḥ: many times / in many ways
• anekaśaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anekaśaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Prakāra-avyaya (manner adverb) = 'in many ways/again and again'

Speaker

Varāha (default, instructor voice)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"Single-minded yearning/concern for the husband is said to avert perception of the ‘gate of death’; avoidance of distracting spectacles (song, instruments, dance) is implied as supportive restraint.","karmic_consequence":"Restraint and focused fidelity are linked with escaping death-gate imagery (inauspicious fate); indulgence in distractions is implied to increase spiritual negligence and peril."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"indriya-nigraha supporting dharma","core_concept":"Attention is destiny: what the mind ‘watches’ shapes one’s path; withdrawal from distracting rāga (attachments) supports dharmic steadfastness and fearlessness toward death.","practical_application":"Limit overstimulation and entertainment when it undermines commitments; cultivate intentional focus and disciplined consumption of sensory inputs."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Sense-restraint themes","Mortality imagery"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: karuṇa

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 209.14 (explicit not hearing/seeing entertainments)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devoted wife turns away from a festive performance—musicians and dancers—while a dark ‘death-gate’ looms faintly behind the revelry; her gaze is fixed inward toward her husband.","item_prompts":["dancers (nṛtya)","musicians with vīṇā/mṛdaṅga/karatāla","spectators","wife averting eyes/covering ears","symbolic mṛtyu-dvāra as shadowy portal"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized dance and percussion ensemble in bright colors; pativratā in composed stance turning away; mṛtyu-dvāra as dark decorative arch in background.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: glittering performance scene with gold accents; central figure of wife in calm matte tones; contrasting dark gateway motif; ornate borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined depiction of classical dance (bharatanāṭya-like poses) and instruments; subtle moral contrast via lighting; wife’s restrained expression emphasized.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: courtyard performance with delicate figures; wife at edge of scene looking away; distant doorway shaded to suggest mṛtyu-dvāra; lyrical composition."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory, reflective","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"grave on ‘mṛtyu-dvāram’, slightly sharper when listing distractions"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Dharma
• Sanskrit Cultural History (performing arts)
• Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It is valuable for cultural history because it explicitly lists performing arts (song, instruments, dance) within a moral-discursive setting.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic identification is present in this line.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It associates steadfast spousal orientation with overcoming or not encountering the ‘gate of death’, while introducing the theme of avoiding distracting spectacles.