Varaha Purana 147.30 — Adhyaya 147, Shloka 30
The Sacred Merit of Goniṣkramaṇa
the Tīrtha of the Cows’ Emergence/Release
शंखचक्रगदायुक्तो मम लोके महीयते ॥ पञ्च धाराः पतन्त्यत्र मूले मूलवटस्य हि ॥
śaṃkhacakragadāyukto mama loke mahīyate | pañca dhārāḥ patanty atra mūle mūlavaṭasya hi ||
శంఖ-చక్ర-గదా ధరించినవాడు నా లోకంలో గౌరవింపబడతాడు. ఇక్కడ మూలవట వృక్ష మూలంలో ఐదు ధారలు పడుతాయి.
Unspecified (defaults to primary dialogue frame: Varāha as narrator/instructor)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","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":true,"specific_site":"Mūlavaṭa (primordial banyan) with pañca-dhārā (five streams)","parikrama_context":"Functions as a landmark tīrtha-node likely visited in sequence; the hydrological ‘five streams’ suggests a prescribed bathing circuit.","krishna_connection":"Mūlavaṭa/banyan sacred-tree motifs are common in Vraja memory-scapes; the Vaiṣṇava iconography (śaṅkha-cakra-gadā) supports a Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa continuum."}
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":"The verse yokes tīrtha-geography to Vaiṣṇava sovereignty: the bearer of śaṅkha-cakra-gadā is honored in the Lord’s realm; the five streams can be read as pañca-yajña/pañca-prāṇa/pañca-bhūta harmonized at the ‘root’ (mūla) of the cosmic tree.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit mapping: pañca-dhārā ↔ pañca-yajña (later made explicit in 147.34–35); Mūlavaṭa as axis/tree of life; Viṣṇu’s weapons as protective yajña-guardianship rather than explicit Varāha anatomy.","vedantic_connection":"‘Mūla’ (root) imagery supports a Vedāntic reading of Brahman/Īśvara as the root-cause; tīrtha as a locus where multiplicity (five streams) returns to unity (root)."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"symbolic theology (tīrtha as embodied doctrine)","core_concept":"Devotion to the weapon-bearing Lord (Viṣṇu) is honored in the divine realm; sacred nature (tree and waters) becomes a pedagogy of unity-in-multiplicity.","practical_application":"Approach sacred sites with iconographic remembrance (smaraṇa of śaṅkha-cakra-gadā) and contemplative attention to natural symbols (tree-root, converging waters)."}
Subject Matter: ["Sacred geography (hydrology at a site)","Heritage botany (banyan as landmark)","Iconography (śaṅkha-cakra-gadā)"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: sacred tree landmark + hydrological tīrtha feature
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 147.34–35 (pañca-yajña fruit tied to bathing/stay)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sacred banyan (Mūlavaṭa) dominates the scene; at its root, five distinct streams cascade or pour into a bathing pool, while a vision/icon of Viṣṇu with conch, discus, and mace signifies honor in the Lord’s world.","item_prompts":["massive banyan with exposed roots","five water-streams (clearly countable)","small shrine or emblem of Viṣṇu","conch (śaṅkha), discus (cakra), mace (gadā) motifs","pilgrims observing/bathing"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized vaṭa with rhythmic roots; five streams rendered as patterned ribbons; Viṣṇu emblem with bold outlines and traditional ornament.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Viṣṇu icon with gold-leaf ornaments; banyan and five streams as decorative foreground; rich textile-like borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined banyan foliage, realistic water; subtle Viṣṇu iconography (weapons) integrated as shrine relief.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: elegant tree silhouette, sparkling five streams; small Viṣṇu shrine under the tree; delicate figures and pastel landscape."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Reverential, descriptive","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear emphasis on ‘śaṅkha-cakra-gadā’ and measured wonder on ‘pañca dhārāḥ’"}
FAQs
It links sacred topography (streams and a landmark banyan) with devotional iconography, useful for studying how sites were described and remembered in textual cartographies.
A local landmark is named: Mūlavaṭa (a ‘primordial banyan’), associated with five falling streams; the broader tīrtha context is Go-niṣkrama.
The verse implicitly frames reverence for sacred landscapes—water sources and venerable trees—as part of culturally valued conduct.
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.