Varaha Purana 97.21: Adhyaya 97, Shloka 21
The Glory of Rudra: The Origin of the Kapālamocana Pilgrimage Site and Rudra’s Expiatory Vow
पुनरब्दद्वयं भ्रान्तो ब्रह्माण्डं तीर्थकारणात्॥ तीर्थेतीर्थे हरः स्नात्वा कपालं त्यक्तुमिच्छति॥
punar abda-dvayaṃ bhrānto brahmāṇḍaṃ tīrtha-kāraṇāt || tīrthe tīrthe haraḥ snātvā kapālaṃ tyaktum icchati ||
Снова, в течение двух лет, он странствовал по брахмāнде — мировому яйцу, космосу — ради тиртх. Омываясь в каждой святыне, Хара стремился оставить череп.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"earth_interaction":"Varāha continues instructive narration to Bhū-devī; no physical Varāha–Earth action."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, contemplative","key_question":"What is the scope of tīrtha-power across the cosmos, and why does ritual bathing still fail to remove certain burdens?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"parikrama_context":"Cosmic-scale pilgrimage (brahmāṇḍa-paribhramaṇa) rather than a regional parikramā.","krishna_connection":"None explicit."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"instruction_summary":"None stated; implied that snāna at many tīrthas is not automatically sufficient for all doṣas.","karmic_consequence":"Implied: persistence of impurity/bond despite repeated snāna when the destined expiation is elsewhere."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"‘Brahmāṇḍa’ frames tīrthas as nodes in a cosmic body; wandering through them suggests searching for the precise cosmic ‘release-point’ where bondage can be cut.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None explicit; the cosmos-as-egg hints at ritual totality (sarva-yajña) within which specific loci have unique efficacy.","vedantic_connection":"Even within the totality of the cosmos, liberation from a specific binding requires the right upāya; emphasizes order (ṛta/niyati) over mere quantity of acts."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ritual theory / sacred geography","core_concept":"Sacred acts have differentiated results; efficacy depends on the correct conjunction of place, act, and destiny (kṣetra-kriyā-niyati).","practical_application":"Approach tīrtha-snāna with discernment and proper intent; seek the tradition’s specified kṣetra for particular expiations."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Sacred Geography","Pilgrimage","Ritual Bathing"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: cosmological sacred geography
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 97.23 (two-year wandering); Varāha Purāṇa 97.25–27 (continued roaming; Himavat episode)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Śiva traverses the ‘world-egg’—a vast cosmic panorama—stopping at innumerable tīrthas to bathe, yet still holding the skull he longs to abandon.","item_prompts":["cosmic egg backdrop","multiple tīrtha icons (rivers, ghāṭas, lakes)","Śiva bathing repeatedly","kapāla in hand","sense of vast scale (stars, continents)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized cosmic oval framing rivers and ghāṭas; Śiva repeated in sequential poses of snāna; strong reds/greens with clear contours.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Śiva with gold halo; surrounding medallions showing tīrthas across the brahmāṇḍa; gold embossing for cosmic rim and water highlights.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced cosmic landscape with soft gradients; Śiva’s repeated bathing shown as a narrative strip; fine ornamentation restrained.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: miniature-like cosmic diagram with mountains, rivers, and celestial bands; Śiva as traveler moving across compartments of the world-egg."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"awe-tinged narration","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"expansive, descriptive, slightly wondrous"}
FAQs
It combines cosmological language (brahmāṇḍa) with pilgrimage practice, illustrating how Purāṇas fuse spatial imagination with ritual itineraries.
No single site is named here; the verse frames pilgrimage as spanning the 'brahmāṇḍa' (the inhabited world/cosmos).
It presents disciplined practice (repeated bathing and travel) as a response to affliction, valuing sustained effort over immediate results.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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.