Varaha Purana 137.56 — Adhyaya 137, Shloka 56
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
वैशाख द्वादशीं प्राप्य स्नायाद्यो विधिपूर्वकम् ॥ दशवर्षसहस्राणि दश वर्षशतानि च
vaiśākha dvādaśīṃ prāpya snāyād yo vidhipūrvakam || daśavarṣasahasrāṇi daśa varṣaśatāni ca
వైశాఖ మాస ద్వాదశిని చేరి విధిపూర్వకంగా స్నానం చేసినవాడు పదివేల సంవత్సరాలు మరియు మరొక పది వందల సంవత్సరాల మేర పుణ్యాన్ని పొందుతాడు.
Varāha (default speaker framework; explicit speaker not stated in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious; impressed by uniqueness claim","key_question":"Why is this vow unparalleled, even beyond the dharma-codes associated with Bṛhaspati and Yama?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"This particular vrata is declared exceptional—unfound in Bārhaspatya (Bṛhaspati-attributed) or Yāmya (Yama-attributed) dharma traditions—implying a special Vaiṣṇava/purāṇic authorization.","karmic_consequence":"Observing grants rare/unique merit beyond ordinary dharma-catalogues; ignoring forfeits an extraordinary opportunity not replaced by standard codes."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Unparalleled vrata (as defined in immediate context; likely the preceding Vaiśākha Dvādaśī snāna-vrata)","tithi_month":"As per adjacent context (Vaiśākha Dvādaśī)","promised_fruit":"Singular, unmatched phala—presented as beyond common dharma-śāstra enumerations."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Purāṇic revelation claims a ‘higher’ devotional dharma: bhakti-centered vrata transcends merely juridical/penal frameworks (Bṛhaspati as polity/ācāra; Yama as retribution).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"No explicit anatomical yajña-mapping; the ‘unfound elsewhere’ claim functions as sacral legitimation of a special rite.","vedantic_connection":"Hierarchy of means: devotionally oriented observances are framed as more direct to grace (anugraha) than rule-based merit alone."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"scriptural hierarchy and bhakti-dharma","core_concept":"Not all dharmas are equal in salvific potency; some purāṇic/Vaiṣṇava observances are presented as uniquely efficacious beyond conventional dharma corpora.","practical_application":"Treat the specified vrata as a high-priority sādhana; follow it with faith and precision rather than assuming generic dharma substitutes are equivalent."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Geography"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: Immediate prior verse(s) defining the ‘īdṛśa vrata’ (contextually the Vaiśākha Dvādaśī bath)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teaching scene where the instructor points to two symbolic ‘law-books’ labeled Bṛhaspati and Yama, while highlighting a third, radiant ‘Vaiṣṇava vrata’ text or emblem as uniquely supreme.","item_prompts":["instructor figure","three manuscripts/tablets (Bṛhaspati, Yama, Vaiṣṇava vrata)","radiant aura around the special vow","students/listeners attentive","gesture of comparison"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: didactic composition with stylized manuscripts and clear mudrās; the ‘unique vrata’ shown with a luminous aura, earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf aura around the ‘unique vrata’ emblem/text; ornate teacher figure; rich reds and greens; embossed manuscript borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined scholarly setting, detailed palm-leaf manuscripts, subtle glow effect on the highlighted vow.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate teaching under a pavilion, manuscripts displayed, gentle narrative clarity; the special vow indicated by a bright wash of color."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"authoritative, wonder-tinged","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"confident, declarative, with emphasis on ‘na…na…na vidyate’ and the contrastive names ‘bārhaspatyeṣu…yāmyeṣu’"}
FAQs
It is evidence for Purāṇic calendrical religion, linking lunar dates (dvādaśī) and month (Vaiśākha) with prescribed bathing rites and quantified merit rhetoric.
No specific site is named here; the instruction is calendrical and procedural rather than topographic.
The verse promotes disciplined observance—performing rites 'according to procedure'—as a valued form of self-regulation.
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