Varaha Purana 145.5 — Adhyaya 145, Shloka 5
The Greatness of the Śālagrāma Sacred Region
ततो दृष्ट्वा महासालं परिश्रान्तो महामुनिः ॥ विश्रामं कुरुते तत्र द्रष्टुकामोऽथ मां मुनिः ॥
tato dṛṣṭvā mahā-sālaṃ pariśrānto mahā-muniḥ || viśrāmaṃ kurute tatra draṣṭu-kāmo 'tha māṃ muniḥ ||
అనంతరం మహాశాలవృక్షాన్ని చూసి శ్రమించిన మహాముని అక్కడే విశ్రాంతి తీసుకున్నాడు; ఆపై ఆ ముని నన్ను దర్శించాలనే కోరిక కలిగెను।
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
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":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Rest (viśrāma) at the sacred tree before seeking Varāha underscores embodied limitation and the compassionate pacing of revelation; the divine is approached through human rhythm—fatigue, pause, then aspiration.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: viśrāma as ‘upasthāna’ before darśana; no explicit yajña-body correspondences.","vedantic_connection":"Sādhana includes the body-mind instrument; vairāgya is not violence to the body but skillful steadiness leading to focused desire for īśvara-darśana."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-oriented intentionality","core_concept":"The turning point is not merely seeing the tree but the arising of desire to see the Lord (māṃ draṣṭu-kāmaḥ).","practical_application":"Convert encounters with sacred landscape into explicit intention (saṅkalpa) for darśana—prayer, remembrance, and focused seeking."}
Subject Matter: ["Pilgrimage Experience","Sacred Encounter","Narrative Progression","Embodied Asceticism"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: viśrāma-sthāna within a sacred grove
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 145.6 (māyā veils; inability to see)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The sage, exhausted, sits or reclines in the shade of the great śāla tree, gathering strength; his gaze and posture indicate a yearning to behold Varāha.","item_prompts":["sage seated under shade","water-pot and staff set aside","tree trunk and roots prominent","directional cue of looking outward as if seeking","subtle divine presence hinted (light, footprints)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Composed resting posture; stylized shade patterns; a faint, auspicious glow suggesting the Lord nearby yet unseen.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold aura subtly off-frame indicating Varāha’s presence; ornate tree halo; devotional mood emphasized through rich borders.","mysore_prompt":"Naturalistic rest scene; gentle light; expressive hands in contemplation or añjali.","pahari_prompt":"Quiet pastoral grove; sage small under vast canopy; lyrical sense of longing in the gaze."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional pause within narrative","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"madhyama with a slight caesura at ‘viśrāmaṃ’","voice_tone":"tender, yearning, controlled"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic pattern: the sacred site becomes a threshold where disciplined practice culminates in a sought encounter (darśana) with the teacher-figure.
The immediate locus is ‘there’ by the mahā-sāla within the Śālagrāma-kṣetra narrative setting.
It normalizes rest within ascetic discipline—care of the body as part of sustained practice—without diminishing the larger pursuit.
Ask anything about this verse
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.