Varaha Purana 152.17 — Adhyaya 152, Shloka 17
Praise of the Sacred Geography of Mathurā
अन्येनोच्चारितं शश्वत्सोऽपि पापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥ पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि आसमुद्रं सरांसि च
anyenoccāritaṃ śaśvat so 'pi pāpaiḥ pramucyate || pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni āsamudraṃ sarāṃsi ca
ఇది మరొకరు నిరంతరం ఉచ్చరించినా, అతడూ పాపాల నుండి విముక్తుడవుతాడు. భూమిపై ఉన్న అన్ని తీర్థాలు, సముద్రం వరకు ఉన్న సరస్సులు కూడా—
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":true,"instruction_summary":"Merit accrues through continual recitation/hearing even when voiced by another; it becomes a means of pāpa-kṣaya tied to tīrtha-remembrance.","karmic_consequence":"Regular śravaṇa/kīrtana leads to release from demerit; neglect implies loss of an easy purificatory means."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-śravaṇa / śabda-śakti","core_concept":"Śabda (recited sacred speech) purifies irrespective of the immediate reciter; receptivity and continuity are spiritually efficacious.","practical_application":"Maintain daily listening/recitation of tīrtha-māhātmya or nāma-kīrtana; treat hearing as a valid sādhana when personal recitation is not possible."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: cosmic-geography / sacred-topography
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya passages that enumerate tīrthas and praise śravaṇa/kīrtana
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as divine teacher describing the earth’s spread of sacred fords and lakes, implying purification through heard recitation.","item_prompts":["Varāha seated/standing in teaching posture","map-like earth with marked tīrthas","lakes and ocean boundary","listeners receiving the teaching","scroll/palm-leaf manuscript to signify oral tradition"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha with ornate crown and halo, warm ochres/greens; stylized rivers and tīrthas on a flattened earth-map; disciples in attentive śravaṇa.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha-teacher with gold-leaf prabhāmaṇḍala; miniature tīrtha icons (ghāṭa, kuṇḍa, saras) around; rich reds and emerald greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework; Varāha in calm upadeśa-mudrā; delicate depiction of lakes and coastline; subdued jewel tones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical landscape with many small lakes and a distant ocean; Varāha addressing a small group; soft blues/greens and airy composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"madhyama","voice_tone":"steady, instructive, gently expansive"}
FAQs
It preserves evidence of oral/aural textual culture, where hearing and recitation function as key modes of transmission and ethical formation.
The verse begins a broad reference to tīrthas and waters across the earth (pṛthivī), extending 'up to the ocean' (ā-samudram).
It underscores the formative role of repeated recitation/hearing as a discipline associated with moral purification.
Ask anything about this verse
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