Varaha Purana 125.156 — Adhyaya 125, Shloka 156
The Cycle of Māyā
Illusory Causation and Perceptual Reversal
अहो देव द्विजा एते मां वदन्ति जगद्गुरो ॥ पूर्वाह्ने स्थापयित्वा त्वं वस्त्रं दण्डकमण्डलू ॥ आगतोऽस्यपराह्ने किं स्थलṃ विस्मृतवानसि
aho deva dvijā ete māṃ vadanti jagadguro || pūrvāhne sthāpayitvā tvaṃ vastraṃ daṇḍakamaṇḍalū || āgato 'sy aparāhne kiṃ sthalaṃ vismṛtavān asi
“อนิจจา โอ้พระผู้เป็นเจ้า! พราหมณ์เหล่านี้เรียกข้าว่า ‘ครูแห่งโลก’ ในยามเช้า ท่านได้วางผ้าครอง ไม้เท้า และหม้อน้ำ (กมณฑลุ) ไว้ แล้วท่านจึงกลับมาในยามบ่าย ท่านลืมสถานที่นั้นหรือ?”
Brāhmaṇa (the afflicted man speaking to Varāha)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Indirect: Varāha receives the man’s lament; within the Varāha–Pṛthivī frame, this becomes instruction on delusion, time, and identity."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"curious (hearing a striking case of altered life-course and memory)","key_question":"How can a brāhmaṇa’s identity and memory be displaced so radically that a single day becomes decades—what is the mechanism of such delusion?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Ascetic insignia (vāsas, daṇḍa, kamaṇḍalu) signify a vowed identity; forgetting one’s ‘place’ and duty indicates moral-spiritual disorientation requiring correction.","karmic_consequence":"Maintaining awareness of one’s āśrama-dharma stabilizes conduct; loss of discernment leads to role-confusion and downstream adharma."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"identity and delusion (moha)","core_concept":"Social honorifics (‘jagad-guru’) can mask inner fall; external markers of dharma are fragile without inner smṛti (right remembrance).","practical_application":"Do not rely solely on titles or symbols; cultivate steady remembrance of duty and self-inquiry when disorientation appears."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: None
Related Themes: Lead-in to the man’s backstory (how ‘afternoon return’ becomes a life)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The afflicted man addresses Varāha, gesturing toward abandoned ascetic items—cloth, staff, and water-pot—speaking in disbelief about time and forgotten place.","item_prompts":["daṇḍa (staff)","kamaṇḍalu (water-pot)","folded cloth/garment placed aside","man’s astonished, pained expression","Varāha listening"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: clear depiction of ascetic implements in foreground; the speaker animated; Varāha composed; warm ochres and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate still-life-like rendering of daṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu with gold highlights; Varāha central; the man pointing to the items.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant detailing of implements; subtle facial emotion; balanced composition with items anchoring the narrative.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: pastoral setting; items placed near a tree/rock; the man narrating with expressive hands; Varāha attentive."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"wonder-tinged lament","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"astonished on पूर्वाह्ने/अपराह्ने; plaintive on किं स्थलं विस्मृतवानसि"}
FAQs
It preserves material-cultural markers (staff, water-pot) and time-division terminology (pūrvāhna/aparāhna) used in classical Sanskrit society and literature.
No named site appears; the verse refers generally to a “place” (sthala) within the narrative setting.
It hints at the instability of perception and memory under karmic or illusory conditions—setting up inquiry into causation and responsibility.
Ask anything about this verse
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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.