Varaha Purana 170.85 — Adhyaya 170, Shloka 85
The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship
including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics
यत्फलं सङ्गमस्योक्तं शृणुयाद्द्वादशीव्रतम्॥ वियोनिस्थो राक्षसो वा तिर्यग्योनिं गतस्य वा॥
yatphalaṃ saṅgamasyo ktaṃ śṛṇuyād dvādaśīvratam॥ viyonistho rākṣaso vā tiryagyoniṃ gatasya vā॥
సంగమమునకు చెప్పబడిన ఫలమును వినుము; ద్వాదశీ వ్రతాన్ని కేవలం శ్రవణం చేసినవాడికీ అది వర్తిస్తుంది—వికృత యోనిలో ఉన్న రాక్షసుడైనా, తిర్యగ్ (పశు) యోనికి వెళ్లినవాడైనా।
Śabara (continuing)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"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":false,"specific_site":"Saṅgama (confluence; exact river-pair not specified in this verse)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Even hearing (śravaṇa) of the Dvādaśī-vrata connected with the Saṅgama is declared efficacious, extending merit beyond ordinary eligibility boundaries.","karmic_consequence":"Śravaṇa itself becomes salvific/merit-generating, capable of uplifting even those in degraded/inauspicious births (rākṣasa/animal)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Dvādaśī-vrata (Saṅgama-sambandha)","tithi_month":"Dvādaśī (month not specified)","promised_fruit":"Inclusion in the vow’s saving power even for beings in abnormal or animal births; broad soteriological reach through mere hearing."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-soteriology","core_concept":"Śravaṇa (hearing sacred vow-mahātmya) functions as a vehicle of purification and liberation beyond caste/species/embodiment constraints.","practical_application":"Listen to and transmit vrata-mahātmya; treat sacred hearing as a real practice (sādhana), especially when full ritual performance is impossible."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: tirtha (river confluence)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 170.95–96 (Saṅgama-phala; Viṣṇuloka; avoidance of Yama)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A storyteller-sage (Śabara) proclaims the astonishing reach of a Dvādaśī vow tied to a sacred confluence, with symbolic figures of a rākṣasa and an animal being included in the circle of grace.","item_prompts":["sage narrator seated with palm-leaf manuscript","river confluence with meeting currents","Dvādaśī vow symbols (tulasī, lamp, fasting bowl)","rākṣasa figure softened by listening","animal (tiryak) attentive near the assembly"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Śabara as a calm, ochre-robed narrator by a stylized saṅgama; saturated greens/blues for waters; devotional objects (tulasī, dīpa) foregrounded; compassionate inclusion of rākṣasa/animal listeners.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central seated sage with ornate arch; gold-leaf highlights on vow implements and river shimmer; small vignettes of rākṣasa and animal receiving merit through listening.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework; serene confluence landscape; emphasis on facial expressions of wonder and relief among listeners; restrained jewel tones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical riverscape with two streams merging; intimate satsang scene; rākṣasa/animal rendered gently at margins, indicating universal access to merit."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"awe-filled proclamation with compassionate undertone","suggested_raga":"Madhyamavati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, didactic, slightly emphatic on phala-claims"}
FAQs
It demonstrates a common Purāṇic rhetorical strategy: expanding access to merit through śravaṇa (hearing), and using cosmological birth categories to emphasize inclusivity of the vow’s stated efficacy.
A “Saṅgama” (confluence) is referenced; within this passage it is associated with Sarasvatī, implying a specific confluence-site in the text’s sacred geography.
The verse highlights the pedagogical value of listening to vow-teachings and the ideal of moral uplift extending beyond conventional social or birth categories.
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