Varaha Purana 10.31: Adhyaya 10, Shloka 31
The Threefold Division by the Guṇas, the Deities’ Attainment of Worship, and the Opening of the Durjaya Episode
एवं सञ्चिन्त्य धर्मात्मा तस्य राज्यं ददौ नृपः । स्वयं च चित्रकूटाख्यं पर्वतं स जगाम ह ॥ १०.३२ ॥
evaṃ saṃcintya dharmātmā tasya rājyaṃ dadau nṛpaḥ | svayaṃ ca citrakūṭākhyaṃ parvataṃ sa jagāma ha || 10.32 ||
ఇలా ఆలోచించిన ధర్మాత్ముడైన రాజు అతనికి రాజ్యాన్ని అప్పగించెను; తాను మాత్రం చిత్రకూటమనే పర్వతానికి వెళ్లెను।
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"instruction_summary":"Narrative exemplar of rājadharma: abdicate responsibly to a qualified successor and withdraw for higher aims.","karmic_consequence":"Implicit: orderly transfer preserves subjects’ welfare and supports the king’s spiritual progress; no explicit heaven/hell result stated."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Stewardship, detachment, and life-stage transition","core_concept":"True righteousness includes relinquishing power at the right time; dharma is upheld by both governance and timely retreat to austerity.","practical_application":"Perform duties fully, then hand over responsibilities without clinging; seek solitude/discipline to reorient life toward liberation-oriented aims."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites","Sacred Geography","Kingship"]
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Veera
Type: Sacred mountain/forest retreat (tapas-kṣetra)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 10.10.30-31 (heir’s readiness; king’s aging reflection)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A decisive transition: the king ceremonially hands over sovereignty to Durjaya, then departs toward the wooded slopes of Citrakūṭa, leaving palace grandeur for forest austerity.","item_prompts":["handover of crown/royal insignia","prince receiving with folded hands","ministers witnessing the abdication","departure scene with chariot or walking staff","Citrakūṭa hills with trees and hermit huts","river/rocky terrain suggesting forest pilgrimage"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: split-scene composition—left: abdication in court; right: king entering forested Citrakūṭa; stylized trees, ochre-green palette, dignified restraint.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central coronation-transfer moment with gold-leaf throne; secondary panel showing the king’s departure to hills; ornate borders framing the two life-phases.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: elegant court handover with refined expressions; soft transition into a detailed forest landscape; emphasis on dharma and calm renunciation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: narrative sequence in one frame—palace at one side, hills at the other; delicate forest details; the king as a small moving figure toward Citrakūṭa."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Solemn, resolute, renunciatory","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"Medium-slow","voice_tone":"Grave, steady, concluding cadence"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative motif in which ideal kingship is expressed through deliberation (saṃcintya), lawful transfer of sovereignty (rājyaṃ dadau), and withdrawal to a culturally significant landscape, illustrating ethical governance within classical Sanskrit literature.
Citrakūṭa (Citrakūṭa-parvata) is named as a mountain associated in Sanskrit sources with North Indian sacred geography; modern scholarship commonly identifies it with the Chitrakoot region spanning parts of present-day Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The verse foregrounds responsible kingship: reflective decision-making and legitimate transfer of political authority, paired with personal restraint and retreat, presenting governance as a dharma-guided duty rather than a purely personal possession.
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