Varaha Purana 137.18: Adhyaya 137, Shloka 18
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
एवं संदिश्य तं तत्र स राजा धर्मशास्त्रतः ।। गमनाय मतिं चक्रे क्षेत्रं सौकरवं प्रति ॥
evaṁ saṁdiśya taṁ tatra sa rājā dharmaśāstrataḥ | gamanāya matiṁ cakre kṣetraṁ saukaravaṁ prati ||
एवं तत्र तं संदिश्य स राजा धर्मशास्त्रानुसारतः गमनाय मतिं चक्रे, सौकरवं क्षेत्रं प्रति प्रस्थितुम्।
Narrator
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"observer"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Saukarava-kṣetra (Saukārava)","parikrama_context":"Implied tīrtha-yātrā/pilgrimage departure; no explicit parikramā stated.","krishna_connection":"None explicit; only generic Vaiṣṇava tīrtha frame."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"A king should act after receiving counsel/instruction grounded in dharma-śāstra and then proceed to righteous action (here, pilgrimage to a sacred kṣetra).","karmic_consequence":"Following dharma-guided resolve supports royal legitimacy and accrues puṇya; ignoring dharma-śāstra leads to adharma and loss of fame/merit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma-pravṛtti (right action)","core_concept":"Saṅkalpa (resolve) should be aligned with śāstra and dharma, especially for rulers whose actions model social order.","practical_application":"Seek dharmic counsel, then act decisively—particularly in matters of tīrtha-yātrā, governance, and public example."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: tīrtha/kṣetra (sacred field)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa Saukarava-māhātmya section (immediately following questions on death/bathing/drinking merit)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king, after receiving dharma-based instruction, sets his mind on departing toward the Saukarava sacred field; attendants prepare for travel.","item_prompts":["king with travel staff/umbrella","minister/sage giving counsel","scroll or palm-leaf (śāstra) motif","procession beginning","signpost/landscape indicating kṣetra"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: regal king in profile with ornate jewelry, sage gesturing in instruction, warm earthy palette, stylized trees marking the kṣetra route.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central crowned king with prabhāmaṇḍala-like arch, sage at side, gold-leaf accents on ornaments, minimal landscape hinting at Saukarava.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, subdued royal procession, sage holding manuscript, soft background of riverbank/fields.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hill-and-river landscape, small figures of king and entourage, narrative clarity with a path leading to a marked tīrtha."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"measured, declarative","suggested_raga":"Śrī (or a calm Bhairav-based morning mood)","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"authoritative, narrative"}
FAQs
It explicitly links pilgrimage movement with dharma-śāstra reasoning, reflecting how Purāṇic texts align sacred travel with normative ethical-legal discourse.
Saukarava kṣetra is named as the destination; further identification requires cross-textual comparison and regional toponymy studies.
Decision-making is presented as grounded in dharma-śāstra—i.e., reflective adherence to established norms—rather than impulse.
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