Varaha Purana 198.1: Adhyaya 198, Shloka 1
Description of the Torments within the Cycle of Rebirth: Hymn to Yama and the Introduction to Citragupta’s Administration
अथ संसारचक्रयातनास्वरूपवर्णनम् ॥ वर्तमानः सभामध्ये राजा प्रेतपुराधिपः ॥ मामेकमृषभं तत्र दर्शनं च ददौ यमः
atha saṃsāracakrayātanāsvarūpavarṇanam || varttamānaḥ sabhāmadhye rājā pretapurādhipaḥ || mām ekam ṛṣabhaṃ tatra darśanaṃ ca dadau yamaḥ
ఇప్పుడు సంసారచక్రంలోని యాతనల స్వరూపవర్ణనం. సభ మధ్యలో ప్రేతపురాధిపతి రాజు ఉన్నప్పుడు, యముడు అక్కడ నాకు—ఋషభుడు (శ్రేష్ఠ ఋషి)—దర్శనం ఇచ్చాడు॥
Varāha (default narrative voice per instruction)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"observer"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Soteriological framing: understanding saṃsāra-yātanā is a moral instruction under Yama’s jurisdiction, prompting dharmic living and liberation-seeking.","karmic_consequence":"Heeding the teaching leads to avoidance of yātanā and better gati; ignoring it perpetuates saṃsāra-cakra and suffering."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"soteriology","core_concept":"Direct insight into the mechanics of saṃsāra (cakra) and its torments catalyzes vairāgya and dharma-oriented reform.","practical_application":"Use mṛtyu-smaraṇa and karma-vicāra to correct conduct now; pursue śama-dama and devotion/knowledge as exits from the cycle."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: otherworldly city and royal assembly hall
Related Themes: 197.197.2-5 (lead-in descriptive vision)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Yama, lord of Preta-pura, seated in a grand assembly hall; the narrator-sage is granted audience as the discourse on saṃsāra’s torments begins.","item_prompts":["Yama enthroned with staff/noose motifs","vast sabhā with attendants/scribes","gateway to Preta-pura","sage standing with folded hands","scrolls/records of karma","somber torchlight"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Yama enthroned in symmetrical sabhā, attendants in rows, bold palette, ritual severity; sage in respectful posture foreground.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf throne and halo for Yama, embossed court ornaments, rich architectural frame, sage rendered smaller in devotion.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant court interior, detailed textiles, restrained gold, expressive yet dignified Yama, calm instructive atmosphere.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative court scene with layered architecture, delicate figures, muted dusk tones, emphasis on dialogue-ready stillness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, solemn","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"authoritative, clear enunciation for doctrinal framing terms like saṃsāra-cakra/yātanā"}
FAQs
It provides a formal transition into a didactic section on saṃsāra and yātanā, typical of Purāṇic compilations that blend narrative with moral instruction.
‘Preta-pura’ is an otherworldly locale (city of the departed), not a historically mappable terrestrial place.
The framing implies that understanding consequences within saṃsāra is part of ethical education and self-correction.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.