Varaha Purana 162.21: Adhyaya 162, Shloka 21
The Efficacy and Merit of Cakra-tīrtha
काले भगवतस्तस्य अतिक्षीणः पिता तदा ॥ तं दृष्ट्वा क्षीणतां प्राप्तं श्वशुरं पर्यपृच्छत ॥
kāle bhagavatas tasya atikṣīṇaḥ pitā tadā || taṁ dṛṣṭvā kṣīṇatāṁ prāptaṁ śvaśuraṁ paryapṛcchata ||
काले तस्य भगवतः पिता तदा अतिक्षीणः। तं श्वशुरं क्षीणतां प्राप्तं दृष्ट्वा स आदरात् पर्यपृच्छत्।
Varāha (default narrative frame)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"When elders decline, one should observe their condition and inquire respectfully, taking responsibility for care and proper rites.","karmic_consequence":"Respectful attention enables timely care and dharmic preparation (including end-of-life duties); indifference accrues demerit and family disorder."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"impermanence and duty","core_concept":"Awareness of decay (kṣaya) should awaken compassion and responsible action, not avoidance.","practical_application":"Respond to decline with practical caregiving, honest conversation, and readiness for necessary saṃskāras/rites."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Health and aging","Family duty"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: domestic/liminal (end-of-life) space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 162.24 (question about death; reply follows)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An elder lies weakened; the younger family member approaches with folded hands, concern on his face, initiating a respectful question.","item_prompts":["frail elder on cot","attendant with añjali-mudrā","simple household interior","medicine/water pot","soft light indicating time passing"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: expressive eyes, restrained sorrow, warm earth tones, emphasis on reverence rather than drama.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: dignified elder figure with gold-highlighted textiles, devotional gravity in the attendant’s posture.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: subtle emotion, fine shading on the elder’s face, quiet interior realism.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: tender, lyrical depiction of care, minimal props, gentle color wash conveying frailty."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"somber, compassionate","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, grave"}
FAQs
It highlights a care-ethics moment—observing decline and responding through inquiry—mirroring broader South Asian textual concerns with aging, duty, and household responsibility.
No geographic location is specified; the focus is on interpersonal and household context.
Attentiveness to elders’ wellbeing and respectful communication are presented as appropriate responses to visible decline.
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