Varaha Purana 48.6: Adhyaya 48, Shloka 6
The Kalki Dvādaśī Observance and the Episode of King Viśāla
पूर्वं राजा विशालोऽभूत् काश्यां पुर्यां महाबलः । गोत्रजैर्हृतराज्योऽसौ गन्धमादनमाविशत् ॥ ४८.६ ॥
pūrvaṁ rājā viśālo 'bhūt kāśyāṁ puryāṁ mahābalaḥ | gotrajair hṛta-rājyo 'sau gandhamādanam āviśat || 48.6 ||
పూర్వం కాశీ నగరంలో విశాలుడు అనే మహాబలవంతుడైన రాజు ఉండెను। తన గోత్రజుల చేత రాజ్యాన్ని కోల్పోయి అతడు గంధమాదనానికి ప్రవేశించాడు।
Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in excerpt)
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":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"itihāsa-style moral exemplum","core_concept":"Worldly sovereignty is unstable; adversity can redirect one toward sacred geography and inner reorientation.","practical_application":"In loss or displacement, seek dharmic refuge—tīrtha, satsanga, and disciplined practice rather than retaliation."}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Historical Narrative","Kingship and Exile","Sacred Geography"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: sacred city and sacred mountain/region
Related Themes: 48.48.7 (arrival at Badarī in the valley)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A powerful king in Kāśī is overthrown by his own kinsmen and departs toward the lofty Gandhamādana, leaving royal splendor behind.","item_prompts":["Kāśī skyline/ghats suggested","dethroned king with minimal retinue","discarded royal insignia","mountain path leading north","somber mood, travel gear"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized city backdrop and then a sweeping mountain band; king with subdued ornaments; strong contour lines; dignified sorrow.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: regal figure with reduced crown, gold accents fading into austere mountain scene; dramatic contrast between palace opulence and ascetic landscape.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: narrative realism; expressive faces of betrayal and resolve; atmospheric depth toward mountains.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: miniature procession leaving a riverside city; layered blue-green hills; poignant, lyrical exile mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative, grave","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"solemn, story-telling"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic-style memory of royal succession and displacement, using the figure of King Viśāla to frame political instability and exile as a narrative motif within Sanskrit cultural historiography.
Kāśī is named explicitly (commonly identified with the Varanasi region). Gandhamādana is a mytho-geographic toponym associated with mountainous terrain in Sanskrit literature, often linked with Himalayan/near-Himalayan sacred landscapes in broader textual traditions.
The verse foregrounds the vulnerability of political power and the consequences of intra-lineage conflict, implying a philosophical instruction about impermanence of sovereignty and the social costs of factionalism.
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