Varaha Purana 166.18 — Adhyaya 166, Shloka 18
The Greatness of the Sacred Pond Called Asikuṇḍa
तत्राश्चर्यं प्रवक्ष्यामि मनःकर्णसुखावहम् ॥ पश्यन्ति मनुजाः सिद्धाः सर्वपापविवर्जिताः ।
tatrāścaryaṁ pravakṣyāmi manaḥkarṇasukhāvaham || paśyanti manujāḥ siddhāḥ sarvapāpavivarjitāḥ |
तत्राश्चर्यं प्रवक्ष्यामि मनःकर्णसुखावहम् । पश्यन्ति मनुजाः सिद्धाः सर्वपापविवर्जिताः ॥
Varāha (implicit, continuing narration)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"battle_fury","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha speaks as narrator, promising to describe an āścarya (marvel) connected with purification and sacred place-fruit."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
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":"soteriology via tīrtha-śravaṇa/darśana","core_concept":"Śraddhā and attentive hearing/seeing of sacred narratives and places conduce to pāpa-kṣaya and spiritual eligibility (siddhatva).","practical_application":"Approach tīrtha-kathā with focused listening and ethical preparation; treat pilgrimage as inner purification, not mere travel."}
Subject Matter: ["Pilgrimage Culture","Purification","Sacred Geography"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tīrtha/kṣetra (implied)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 166.22-25 (calendar days, Mathurā, Varāha-tīrtha, icons, darśana-mokṣa)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as divine narrator, poised to reveal a wondrous tīrtha-māhātmya; siddha-like pilgrims stand purified, gazing toward an unseen sacred locus.","item_prompts":["Varāha (divine speaker) seated/standing in teaching posture","attentive listeners/pilgrims with folded hands","a hinted sacred landscape (riverbank/ford silhouette)","aura suggesting ‘marvel’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha with ornate crown and Vaikuṇṭha-like ornaments, warm ochres/greens; pilgrims in simple white, background suggesting a river-tīrtha; emphasis on adbhuta through halo and stylized clouds.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha with heavy gold-leaf jewelry and prabhāmaṇḍala; small vignettes of purified pilgrims; rich reds and greens; minimal landscape cues.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, subdued palette; Varāha as storyteller with palm-leaf manuscript gesture; pilgrims listening; soft riverbank in background.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical river valley backdrop; Varāha as teacher on a terrace; pilgrims in bright garments; emphasis on wonder through birds/lotuses and flowing composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"wonder-invoking, auspicious","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, slightly elevated to signal ‘āścarya’"}
FAQs
It signals a didactic ‘marvel’ section typical of tīrtha-māhātmya literature, used to communicate the perceived efficacy of place-based ritual and ethical discipline.
The verse is deictic (‘there’), continuing the Mathurā-centered narrative established earlier in the chapter.
Purity and self-discipline are implied prerequisites for perceiving the text’s promised benefits.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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.