Varaha Purana 213.44: Adhyaya 213, Shloka 44
The Glory of Gokarṇeśvara: Nandin’s Austerities and Śiva’s Boons
प्रेतावासनिवासाय रुद्राय वरदाय च ॥ कपालमालिने तस्मै हरिश्मश्रुधराय च
pretāvāsanivāsāya rudrāya varadāya ca || kapālamāline tasmai hariśmaśrudharāya ca
ప్రేతావాసభూమి (శ్మశాన)లో నివసించువాడైన రుద్రునికి, వరదాతకు నమస్కారం; కపాలమాల ధరించినవాడికి, హరి వర్ణ మీసం-గడ్డం కలవాడికీ నమః।
Nandī (hymn speaker; within the broader Varāha–Pṛthivī narrative frame)
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":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"transcendence of purity/impurity; death-contemplation","core_concept":"The Lord who dwells amid pretas and skulls is still Varada—compassionate and granting; the Absolute is untouched by death while ruling it.","practical_application":"Use mṛtyu-smaraṇa (contemplation of impermanence) to reduce fear and attachment; approach the divine even in life’s ‘impure’ margins."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Culture","Iconography","Devotional Literature"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: liminal ritual landscape
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 213.47 (preceding epithets); Varāha Purāṇa 213.49 (concluding devotion)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vivid Śaiva iconographic tableau: Śiva associated with cremation-ground, skull garland, and tawny facial hair, yet addressed as boon-giver.","item_prompts":["cremation-ground setting (śmaśāna) with ash, pyre remnants","kapāla-mālā (skull garland)","Rudra’s fierce yet composed visage","hari-śmaśru (tawny moustache/beard) detail","Nandī in devotion at the periphery"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized śmaśāna with symbolic flames; Śiva with skull garland and ash-smeared body; tawny beard highlighted; strong reds/ochres; devotional Nandī anchoring the scene.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Śiva with pronounced kapāla-mālā rendered in relief; gold-leaf aura; subdued cremation-ground motifs in background; tawny beard as a distinct color accent.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined, less macabre; skull garland simplified; ash tones and soft firelight; emphasis on Śiva’s varada (boon-giving) hand gesture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: nocturnal śmaśāna under moonlight; delicate skull-garland detailing; tawny beard; sparse landscape with lyrical eeriness balanced by devotional calm."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"austere, grave, awe-filled","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"deep, slightly hushed, weighty on 'preta/kapāla' compounds"}
FAQs
It documents cremation-ground and skull-garland motifs associated with Śiva/Rudra, valuable for the study of South Asian religious art history and textual iconography.
No specific place-name is given; the imagery is symbolic (cremation-ground as a cultural-religious setting).
It encourages contemplation of impermanence (mortality symbolism) and humility, using funerary imagery as a philosophical prompt rather than a literal directive.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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.