Varaha Purana 137.141 — Adhyaya 137, Shloka 141
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
कृतं चान्द्रायणं तत्र दशवर्षसहस्रकम् ॥ ततः सप्तसहस्राणि वायुभक्षस्तु संस्थितः ॥
kṛtaṃ cāndrāyaṇaṃ tatra daśa-varṣa-sahasrakam || tataḥ sapta-sahasrāṇi vāyu-bhakṣas tu saṃsthitaḥ
तत्र चान्द्रायणं कृतं दशवर्षसहस्रकम्। ततः सप्तसहस्राणि वायुभक्षः स्थितोऽभवत्॥
Varāha (default dialogue framework; narrative report)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"astonished","key_question":"What forms of prāyaścitta and ascetic endurance can counteract grave wrongdoing, and what do such immense time-scales signify?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Cāndrāyaṇa is presented as a paradigmatic expiatory observance; extreme tapas (including vāyu-bhakṣaṇa) is depicted as prolonged atonement.","karmic_consequence":"Following prāyaścitta burns/attenuates pāpa and restores eligibility for dharma; refusal leaves one bound to the fruits of duṣkṛta (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata (as prāyaścitta)","tithi_month":"Moon-regulated regimen (waxing/waning-based), not fixed to a single tithi in this verse","promised_fruit":"Purification from sin, restoration of dhārmic standing; narrative implies extraordinary merit through sustained observance."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"discipline and purification","core_concept":"Karma can be countered by deliberate self-regulation; purification is proportional to sincerity and sustained restraint.","practical_application":"Adopt appropriate, śāstra-aligned prāyaścitta under guidance; practice gradual restraint (food, breath, senses) rather than performative extremes."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Atonement (prāyaścitta)","Ascetic practice","Time scales in narrative"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: ascetic site/retreat (implied)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa moral-exemplum sequences where prāyaścitta follows wicked action
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ascetic figure performing Cāndrāyaṇa over vast time, then standing in stark solitude sustained only by air—emphasizing endurance and purification.","item_prompts":["emaciated ascetic","moon-phase arc (Cāndrāyaṇa)","counting beads or ritual ladle (symbolic)","wind lines/breath motif","desolate hermitage"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: ascetic in strong profile with stylized moon-phase border; restrained palette; emphasis on tapas-fire aura without literal flames.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic ascetic figure with embossed moon halo/arc; gold accents used sparingly to mark ‘vrata’ sanctity.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: realistic austerity depiction, subtle body language, moonlight gradations to suggest lunar regimen.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: solitary yogi on a hillside, delicate wind motifs, moon phases painted as a decorative frieze."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"austere and weighty","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"grave, sustained, with elongated cadence on large numbers (daśa-varṣa-sahasrakam / sapta-sahasrāṇi)"}
FAQs
It references a well-known expiatory regimen (Cāndrāyaṇa) and amplifies it through epic time scales, showing how Purāṇas adapt dharma-legal concepts into narrative and devotional contexts.
No specific location is named here beyond “there” (tatra), which depends on the immediately preceding tīrtha context in the chapter.
The verse underscores the ideal of sustained self-discipline as a means of moral repair, while presenting it in a stylized, hyperbolic temporal register typical of Purāṇic narration.
Ask anything about this verse
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