Varaha Purana 137.151 — Adhyaya 137, Shloka 151
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
तस्य पूर्वेण पार्श्वेन तीर्थं गृध्रवटं स्मृतम्॥ यत्राकामो मृतो गृध्रो मानुषत्वमुपागतः॥
tasya pūrveṇa pārśvena tīrthaṃ gṛdhravaṭaṃ smṛtam || yatrākāmo mṛto gṛdhro mānuṣatvam upāgataḥ ||
तस्य पूर्वेण पार्श्वेन तीर्थं गृध्रवटं स्मृतम्। यत्राकामो मृतो गृध्रो मानुषत्वमुपागतः।
Varāha (default speaker framework; continuing kṣetra description)
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":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"conflicted, emotionally restrained","key_question":"How can one speak a difficult truth when the heart is churning—what is the right balance between obligation to answer and inner hesitation?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"One should answer what is rightly asked (especially by a proper interlocutor), yet truthful speech may require inner readiness and careful expression when emotions churn.","karmic_consequence":"Speaking responsibly sustains satya and relational dharma; suppressing necessary truth can prolong inner turmoil and ethical tension, while rash speech can cause harm—implying the need for measured truthfulness."}
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":"ethics of speech (satya + hita)","core_concept":"Truth is obligatory when properly requested, but speech must be governed by inner discernment; the heart’s agitation signals the need for careful articulation.","practical_application":"Before answering sensitive questions, pause, steady the mind, and speak truth in a way that is beneficial (hita) and timely, not merely compelled."}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Geography","Ecology"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: saṃvāda/narrative setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 137.56 (dialogue tension point before disclosure)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A speaker (unidentified) sits or stands with a troubled expression, one hand near the chest, conveying reluctance; the listener waits, indicating a question has been posed.","item_prompts":["two-figure dialogue composition","speaker with downcast eyes/hand on heart","listener attentive","subtle swirling motif near chest to show ‘hṛdi parivartate’","quiet hermitage or court backdrop"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: expressive eyes and hand-to-chest gesture; warm background; the listener shown in respectful posture; emotional churn suggested by stylized spiral ornament.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold accents on figures; speaker’s hesitation dramatized by posture; ornate frame; minimal background to focus on emotion.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: soft shading, delicate facial emotion; restrained setting; emphasis on psychological realism of reluctance.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate interior scene; subtle visual metaphor (small swirling cloud near heart); quiet color palette to convey restraint."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"introspective and tender","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"low, contemplative, slightly tremulous on the final phrase"}
FAQs
It records a specific tīrtha-name (Gṛdhravaṭa) and an etiological story, both of which are key for building searchable gazetteers and motif indexes in a digital Purāṇa repository.
Gṛdhravaṭa tīrtha is identified, situated ‘on the eastern side’ of the referenced kṣetra. Modern identification remains uncertain without additional contextual verses and regional correlates.
By embedding animal life within sacred-landscape narratives, the text supports a cultural ethic of recognizing non-human beings as part of heritage landscapes (an ecological sensitivity expressed through mythic idiom).
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in 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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.