Varaha Purana 145.32 — Adhyaya 145, Shloka 32
The Greatness of the Śālagrāma Sacred Region
मम तद्रोचते स्थानं गिरिकूटशिलोच्चये ॥ शालग्राम इति ख्यातं भक्तसंसारमोक्षणम् ॥
mama tadrocate sthānaṃ girikūṭaśilocchaye || śālagrāma iti khyātaṃ bhaktasaṃsāramokṣaṇam ||
నాకు ఆ స్థలమే ప్రీతికరం—పర్వతశిఖరాలు, శిలల ఎత్తైన ఉత్థానంపై ఉన్నది. అది ‘శాలగ్రామం’ అని ప్రసిద్ధి, భక్తులను సంసారబంధం నుండి విమోచించేదని చెప్పబడుతుంది.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha expresses personal preference/affection for a sacred place while addressing Bhūmi."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"receptive; being guided toward a mokṣa-oriented tīrtha","key_question":"Implicit: which place is especially dear and liberating for devotees, and why is it praised as a mokṣa-kṣetra?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Śālagrāma","krishna_connection":"General Vaiṣṇava tīrtha-veneration; no explicit Kṛṣṇa-līlā link in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"soteriology via sacred geography","core_concept":"Tīrtha as a locus where devotion (bhakti) is said to catalyze liberation from saṃsāra.","practical_application":"Undertake pilgrimage with devotional intent; treat the site as a mokṣa-kṣetra rather than mere scenery."}
Subject Matter: ["Sacred Geography","Soteriology (mokṣa discourse)","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mountainous sacred site / tīrtha-kṣetra
Related Themes: 145.36.0-145.39.0 (continuation: secret teachings, secret tīrthas, Bilvaprabha, bathing discipline)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha, in a calm instructive posture, indicates a lofty rocky mountain rise while describing Śālagrāma as a liberating sacred place; Bhūdevī listens attentively.","item_prompts":["rocky mountain peaks","sacred river/stream suggestion (tīrtha ambience)","Vaiṣṇava markers (śaṅkha-cakra motifs)","Bhūdevī seated/listening","a subtle Śālagrāma stone on a pedestal or in a devotee’s hands"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: serene Varāha as divine teacher with Bhūdevī, stylized craggy hills and a small shrine holding a Śālagrāma stone; rich reds/ochres, clear facial detailing.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central icon-like Varāha with Bhūdevī, gold-leaf halo, a miniature rocky tīrtha backdrop, ornate pedestal displaying a Śālagrāma stone.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework, soft shading; Varāha gesturing toward distant mountain peaks; delicate depiction of a small tīrtha shrine and Śālagrāma.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: layered Himalayan ridges, cool palette; intimate dialogue scene with Varāha pointing to a cliff-side sacred spot; small devotees near a shrine with Śālagrāma."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverential, contemplative tīrtha-stuti","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"warm, declarative, gently awe-inflected"}
FAQs
It records Śālagrāma as a named sacred site within a Purāṇic tīrtha framework, reflecting how landscapes were mapped through devotional and ethical idioms.
Śālagrāma is identified as the place-name; in scholarship it is often associated with the Śālagrāma region linked to the Gandakī river tradition, though this verse alone provides only topographic cues.
The verse frames liberation as connected to disciplined devotion (bhakti), presented descriptively rather than as coercive obligation.
Ask anything about this verse
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