Varaha Purana 167.18: Adhyaya 167, Shloka 18
The Glory of the Viśrānti Tīrtha and the Account of a Rākṣasa’s Liberation
केन त्वं कर्मदोषेण राक्षसत्वमुपागतः ॥ ततश्च कथयामास कथावृत्तं पुरातनम् ॥
kena tvaṃ karmadoṣeṇa rākṣasatvam upāgataḥ || tataś ca kathayāmāsa kathāvṛttaṃ purātanam ||
ఏ కర్మదోషం వల్ల నీవు రాక్షసత్వాన్ని పొందితివి? అనంతరం అతడు ప్రాచీన వృత్తాంతాన్ని వివరించాడు।
Brāhmaṇa (question); Narrator (transition)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","key_question":"By what karmic fault (karmadoṣa) did you attain the condition of a rākṣasa?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Karmic causality is foregrounded: a fallen state (rākṣasatva) is traced to a specific prior action, inviting confession and remedial narration as the first step toward expiation.","karmic_consequence":"Knowing and admitting the causal deed opens the path to remedy and uplift; ignorance/denial perpetuates the fallen condition through continued bondage to past acts."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-hetu-vicara (inquiry into causal action)","core_concept":"States of birth/being are effects of prior intentional action; narrative recollection functions as ethical diagnosis.","practical_application":"When confronting suffering or moral downfall, investigate causes (actions, intentions), seek truthful disclosure, and pursue corrective practice rather than fatalism."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma","Narrative etiology"]
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya narratives where tīrtha-phala is transferable by grace/boon; Varāha Purāṇa: karma-vipāka and uplift of the fallen through brāhmaṇa compassion
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brāhmaṇa confronts a sorrowful rākṣasa, questioning the cause of his monstrous state; the narrative frame shifts as an ‘ancient account’ begins.","item_prompts":["brāhmaṇa with kamaṇḍalu and yajñopavīta","rākṣasa with downcast posture","forest/wayside hermitage setting","gesture of questioning (raised hand)","scroll-like aura suggesting ‘purātana kathā’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, earthy reds/greens; brāhmaṇa serene yet probing, rākṣasa subdued; minimal background with stylized trees and narrative halo.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central brāhmaṇa figure with calm authority, rākṣasa kneeling; gold-leaf accents on sacred thread and ornaments; architectural arch framing the moral inquiry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate shading, refined faces; emphasize compassionate inquiry and the rākṣasa’s shame; soft landscape wash behind.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical hillside/forest path; expressive eyes; the ‘ancient tale’ suggested by a secondary vignette cloud above them."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave-inquisitive","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, probing, narrative-turn at the second hemistich"}
FAQs
It exemplifies the Purāṇic method of explaining present conditions through karmic causality and embedded ‘ancient tale’ narration.
No location is named in this verse.
Moral states are linked to prior actions; inquiry into causes is presented as a step toward correction or release.
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