Varaha Purana 13.48 — Adhyaya 13, Shloka 48
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
गङ्गासरयूमतवा विपाशां सरस्वतीं नैमिषगोमतीं वा । ततोऽवगाह्यार्चनमादरेण कृत्वा पितॄणामहितानि हन्ति ॥ १३.४८ ॥
gaṅgā-sarayūm athavā vipāśāṃ sarasvatīṃ naimiṣa-gomatīṃ vā | tato ’vagāhyārcanam ādareṇa kṛtvā pitṝṇām ahitāni hanti || 13.48 ||
ต่อจากนั้น เมื่อจุ่มกายอาบน้ำในคงคาและสรยู—หรือในวิปาศา หรือสรัสวตี หรือในน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์แห่งไนมิษะและโคมตี—แล้วบูชาด้วยความเคารพยิ่ง ย่อมขจัดเคราะห์ร้ายที่กระทบต่อปิตฤ (บรรพชน) ได้।
Varāha (default dialogue framework; instructor voice)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious; seeking dharmic clarity on rites and sacred places","key_question":"Which sacred waters and worship, when performed properly, remove afflictions of the Pitṛs?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Immerse in specified tīrthas (Gaṅgā/Sarayū/Vipāśā/Sarasvatī/Naimiṣa-Gomatī) and perform careful arcana to alleviate Pitṛ-doṣa and ancestral distress.","karmic_consequence":"Proper tīrtha-snāna plus worship brings Pitṛ-śānti and removes ancestral harms; neglect sustains Pitṛ-asantoṣa and related obstacles."}
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":"karma-śuddhi through place, act, and intention","core_concept":"Tīrtha is a dharmic catalyst: when approached with ādara (care/reverence), it transforms ritual into effective ancestral benefit.","practical_application":"Choose an approved tīrtha, perform full immersion, then arcana with attentiveness; dedicate merit explicitly to Pitṛs."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: śraddhā-bhakti
Type: pan-Indian sacred rivers and tīrtha-complexes
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.49-52 (Pitṛ-gīti and śrāddha ethics)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A householder pilgrim immerses in a broad sacred river, then performs arcana on the bank with offerings dedicated to Pitṛs; multiple rivers are suggested as a montage or symbolic confluence.","item_prompts":["river with ghāṭa steps","pilgrim in wet cloth after immersion","pūjā tray: flowers, incense, lamp","water-pot (kalaśa)","pitṛ-tarpaṇa gesture with cupped hands","distant hermitage/forest hinting Naimiṣa"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Flat, ornate riverbank tīrtha scene; stylized ghāṭa, lotus motifs, warm earth pigments; devotee performing tarpaṇa with clear hand-mudrā; minimal depth, high ornament.","tanjore_prompt":"Central devotee at river with gold-leaf halo effect around lamp and kalaśa; rich textiles; embossed river ripples; small vignettes naming Gaṅgā/Sarayū etc. in cartouches.","mysore_prompt":"Refined linework and soft shading; serene river atmosphere; detailed pūjā items; calm devotional posture emphasizing ādara.","pahari_prompt":"Himalayan palette with cool blues; sweeping river curve; small figures on ghāṭa; lyrical landscape suggesting multiple tīrthas through distant signifiers."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent, procedural, purifying","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, instructive, gently emphatic on river names"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic catalogue of major North Indian tīrthas (sacred waters and regions), reflecting the cultural geography through which pilgrimage, ritual bathing, and ancestral rites were conceptually linked in early-medieval Sanskrit literature.
Gaṅgā (Ganges), Sarayū (commonly associated with the Ayodhyā region), Vipāśā (generally identified with the Beas in the Punjab), Sarasvatī (a major sacred river with debated historical courses), Naimiṣa (Naimiṣāraṇya, often placed in present-day Uttar Pradesh), and Gomatī (Gomti River, also in Uttar Pradesh).
The verse frames careful ritual conduct—bathing and respectful worship—as a disciplined practice connected to intergenerational responsibility, presented here as mitigating adverse conditions attributed to one’s ancestors (pitṛs).
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