Varaha Purana 47.18: Adhyaya 47, Shloka 18
The Rite of Śrāvaṇa Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī (Dāmodara Worship) and the Exemplum of King Nṛga
वामदेव उवाच । त्वमासीच्छूद्रजातीय अन्यजन्मनि पार्थिव । तत्र त्वया ब्राह्मणस्य प्रेषणं कुर्वता श्रुता । श्रावणस्य तु मासस्य शुक्लपक्षे तु द्वादशी ॥ ४७.१८ ॥
vāmadeva uvāca | tvam āsīc chūdrajātīya anyajanmani pārthiva | tatra tvayā brāhmaṇasya preṣaṇaṃ kurvatā śrutā | śrāvaṇasya tu māsasya śuklapakṣe tu dvādaśī || 47.18 ||
वामदेव उवाच । अन्यजन्मनि पार्थिव त्वं शूद्रजातीय आसीः । तत्र ब्राह्मणं दूतत्वेन प्रेषयता त्वया श्रुता । श्रावणमासे शुक्लपक्षे द्वादशीति विश्रुता ॥
Vāmadeva
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Vāmadevāśrama (speaker’s setting implied)"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Past-birth status and actions condition present outcomes; hearing/learning about an auspicious dvādaśī in Śrāvaṇa (śukla pakṣa) sets up a remedial/merit-making observance tied to karmic uplift.","karmic_consequence":"Right observance (implied forthcoming) yields protection and elevation beyond birth-limits; neglect of dharmic opportunities perpetuates vulnerability and lower outcomes."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Śrāvaṇa-śukla-dvādaśī vrata (Vaiṣṇava dvādaśī; specific name not given in excerpt)","tithi_month":"Śrāvaṇa māsa, śukla pakṣa, dvādaśī","promised_fruit":"Implied: divine protection and karmic uplift across births; the narrative suggests the manifested protective devī is the fruit/sign of accrued merit (full phala likely stated in subsequent verses)."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma and saṁskāra","core_concept":"Birth is not ultimate identity; actions and dharmic contact (hearing of vrata) create transformative trajectories.","practical_application":"Do not be fatalistic about social origin; adopt dharmic observances and right conduct to reshape future outcomes."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Calendar","Karma and Rebirth"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: jijñāsā
Type: āśrama
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 47.47.17 (question); Varāha Purāṇa 47.47.19+ (likely continuation: details of the dvādaśī observance and its fruit)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Sage Vāmadeva instructs the king about his past birth and introduces the sacred timing: Śrāvaṇa bright-fortnight dvādaśī.","item_prompts":["sage speaking with teaching gesture","king listening attentively","visual motif of lunar calendar/tithi (crescent/moon disk)","Śrāvaṇa seasonal cues (monsoon clouds, fresh greenery)","hermitage setting"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Vāmadeva in authoritative pose, king seated below; monsoon-green background; symbolic moon emblem indicating dvādaśī.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: teacher-sage with gold halo; decorative moon motif in upper panel; rich greens/blues for Śrāvaṇa season.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: calm didactic scene with refined expressions; subtle moon iconography; naturalistic monsoon ambiance.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate teaching under a tree with rain-washed landscape; small moon symbol; gentle narrative clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"measured, instructive"}
FAQs
It illustrates common Purāṇic narrative techniques—linking present circumstances to prior births—and preserves calendrical terminology (lunar tithis and months) used in historical South Asian time-reckoning and ritual culture.
No specific place-name is mentioned in this verse; the focus is temporal (Śrāvaṇa, bright fortnight, dvādaśī) rather than geographic.
The verse frames ethical causality through rebirth and highlights attentive hearing/learning of ritual-time knowledge, implying that actions and awareness in one context can shape later outcomes.
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