Varaha Purana 137.7: Adhyaya 137, Shloka 7
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
श्रुतं ह्येव महाबाहो सर्वधर्मार्थ साधकम् ॥ तव भक्तसुखार्थाय तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति
śrutaṁ hy eva mahābāho sarva-dharmārtha sādhakam || tava bhakta-sukhārthāya tad bhavān vaktum arhati
श्रुतं ह्येव महाबाहो सर्वधर्मार्थसाधकम्॥ तव भक्तसुखार्थाय तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति।
Pṛthivī (default dialogue frame; speaker not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Bhu Devī urges the ‘mighty-armed’ Lord to proclaim a teaching heard to accomplish all dharma and welfare, explicitly for devotees’ happiness."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"curious, petitioning, hopeful for devotees","key_question":"Please declare that teaching/observance which is said to accomplish all dharma and welfare for the sake of devotees’ well-being—what is it, and how is it to be practiced?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Transmission duty: one who knows a dharma that benefits all should teach it for loka/ भक्त-sukha (devotee welfare).","karmic_consequence":"Teaching beneficial dharma accrues merit and supports communal welfare; withholding it implies neglect of compassionate duty (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Unspecified (to be declared in the subsequent passage)","tithi_month":"Unspecified","promised_fruit":"Accomplishment of ‘all dharma and artha/welfare’ and the happiness of devotees (as stated)."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"śravaṇa–kīrtana / compassionate pedagogy","core_concept":"Dharma is fulfilled through transmission: hearing (śrutam) culminates in proclamation (vaktum) for others’ welfare; knowledge becomes compassion in action.","practical_application":"When you learn a beneficial practice (dharma/vrata), share it responsibly; prioritize teachings that uplift communities, not merely personal gain."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Transmission of Knowledge","Devotional Communities"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mythic teaching dialogue
Related Themes: Didactic dialogue openings in Varāha Purāṇa where Pṛthivī requests a vrata/dharma and Varāha responds
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhu Devī, attentive and reverent, requests the mighty-armed Lord to reveal a universally beneficial dharma/vrata; the moment is poised before instruction begins.","item_prompts":["Bhu Devī seated as listener","Lord with strong arms (mahābāhu) in teaching posture","gesture of request (añjali)","assembly of devotees/sages","scroll or symbolic ‘teaching’ light"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural; dynamic yet calm teacher-disciple composition, Bhu Devī in attentive posture, Lord’s upadeśa-mudrā, warm devotional palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore; central Lord with gold prabhā, Bhu Devī requesting; ornate frame suggesting impending ‘vrata-mahātmya’ revelation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore; classical interior/forest-assembly, refined expressions, emphasis on dialogue and instruction gesture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari; serene hillside/forest setting, intimate satsanga, Bhu Devī’s eager gaze, delicate detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic invocation / anticipatory","suggested_raga":"Śrī","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, instructive, inviting"}
FAQs
It preserves the Purāṇic pedagogy model: knowledge is validated as ‘śruta’ (received tradition) and then requested for public articulation for communal benefit.
No place-name is present in this verse segment.
Teachings are to be communicated not merely for private interest but for the welfare of a wider community.
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.