Varaha Purana 137.16 — Adhyaya 137, Shloka 16
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
परं कोकामुखं स्थानं तथा कुब्जा म्रकं परम् ।। परं सौकरवं स्थानं सर्वसंसारमोक्षणम् ॥
paraṁ kokāmukhaṁ sthānaṁ tathā kubjā mrakaṁ param | paraṁ saukaravaṁ sthānaṁ sarvasaṁsāramokṣaṇam ||
‘มีสถานที่ศักดิ์สิทธิ์อันสูงสุดชื่อว่า โกกามุขะ และทำนองเดียวกัน กุบชา กับ มรกะ ก็ประเสริฐยิ่ง สถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์เซากราวะนั้นประเสริฐที่สุด กล่าวกันว่าเป็นผู้ปลดเปลื้องจากสังสารวัฏทั้งปวง’
Narrator (speaker not explicit; within Varāha Purāṇa sacred-geography register, default framework Varāha as instructor)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
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":"Household decorum rule: one should not be seen lying asleep; the husband responds after hearing the wife’s counsel.","karmic_consequence":"Following the counsel supports marital harmony and disciplined conduct; ignoring it risks social blame and weakening of vrata/ācāra."}
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":"gṛhastha ethics and mutual correction","core_concept":"Dharma in the home is sustained by attentive listening (śravaṇa) and accepting correction from one’s spouse; modesty and vigilance are virtues.","practical_application":"Treat spousal advice as dharma-support; structure daily routine to avoid negligence and preserve dignity in public/household spaces."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: gṛhastha-dharma (domestic propriety)
Type: palace/household interior
Related Themes: Links back to the earlier muhūrtaka-vrata/sleep-restraint statement (ch. 137.5) and forward to the king’s ensuing action (narrative continuation).
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The queen expresses concern about being seen asleep; the king listens and resolves, shown as a moment of domestic counsel within the palace.","item_prompts":["queen speaking with earnest gesture","king attentive posture","private chamber setting","curtain/bed as symbolic background","subtle attendants at a distance"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: queen in graceful stance advising, king listening with composed face, warm interior tones emphasizing domestic dharma.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: queen and king as central icons with gold ornamentation, bed-curtain motif behind, emphasis on auspicious household order.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: intimate palace interior, refined jewelry, gentle expressions, narrative realism.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: palace room with patterned textiles, queen’s expressive hand-gesture, king turning slightly in acknowledgment."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"intimate and instructive","suggested_raga":"Khamaj (soft, domestic mood)","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"gentle narrative with clear emphasis on the wife’s quoted concern"}
FAQs
It catalogs tīrtha/place-names in a māhātmya style, valuable for mapping Purāṇic sacred landscapes and studying regional pilgrimage networks.
Kokāmukha, Kubjā, Mraka, and Saukarava are named; precise modern identifications are uncertain without additional textual markers and comparative gazetteer evidence.
The verse frames engagement with sacred geography as a means of moral-spiritual transformation, using liberation-from-saṁsāra language typical of tīrtha discourse.
Ask anything about this verse
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