Varaha Purana 113.23 — Adhyaya 113, Shloka 23
Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry
Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue
पुनश्च रावणो रक्षः क्षयितं स्वेन तेजसा ॥ बलिश्च बद्धो भगवन् त्वया वामनरूपिणा
punaśca rāvaṇo rakṣaḥ kṣayitaṃ svena tejasā || baliśca baddho bhagavan tvayā vāmanarūpiṇā
ครั้นแล้ว ราวณะผู้เป็นรากษสก็พินาศด้วยเดชานุภาพของพระองค์เอง; และข้าแต่พระภควาน ในรูปวามนะ พระองค์ได้ผูกมัดพาลีด้วย
Pṛthivī
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"reassured by repeated removal of oppressive forces; devotional remembrance"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Vāmana-Trivikrama and Rāma narratives are part of the avatāra continuum that later frames Kṛṣṇa’s līlā; no explicit Mathurā cue here."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"Kings who overreach (Rāvaṇa by hubris; Bali by overextension despite generosity) are restrained to re-establish rightful cosmic sovereignty.","karmic_consequence":"Hubris invites destruction; even virtuous generosity must align with dharma—otherwise binding/limitation follows for cosmic balance."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"sovereignty and surrender","core_concept":"Tejas of the Lord subdues adharmic domination; surrender (even when compelled, as Bali) becomes a pivot toward grace and order.","practical_application":"Temper ambition with humility; practice dāna with discernment and devotion; accept limits as dharmic guidance."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Mythic History","Kingship"]
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mythic-epic realms
Related Themes: Earth’s sequential listing of avatāras before posing her cosmological question (vv. 26–27)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A paired remembrance: Rāvaṇa’s fall by divine tejas and Bali’s binding by Vāmana—two avatāra interventions restoring cosmic order.","item_prompts":["Split-panel composition: (1) Rāma’s radiance overwhelming Rāvaṇa (symbolic) (2) Vāmana dwarf-brāhmaṇa with umbrella and kamaṇḍalu binding Bali","golden tejas aura","Bali with folded hands, humbled","cosmic scale hint for Trivikrama (shadow/footprint)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural diptych: left—Rāma’s serene power vs. crowned Rāvaṇa; right—Vāmana small yet radiant, Bali subdued; rich ornamentation.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Vāmana central with gold-leaf halo; Bali kneeling; secondary medallion showing Rāvaṇa’s defeat; heavy gilded borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: balanced narrative panels, delicate faces; Vāmana’s brahmacārin details; subdued but luminous tejas.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical two-scene storytelling with soft landscapes; Vāmana-Bali in courtly setting; Rāvaṇa scene stylized and symbolic."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"exalting, narrative","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, uplifted on ‘tejasā’ and ‘vāmanarūpiṇā’"}
FAQs
It compresses multiple major narrative cycles (Rāma/Rāvaṇa; Vāmana/Bali) into a catalog, useful for studying how Purāṇas create a unified moral history.
No specific terrestrial location is named in this verse; it references persons and actions rather than a pilgrimage geography.
The verse emphasizes restraint of violent or overreaching sovereignty and the re-establishment of proportional order.
Ask anything about this verse
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