Varaha Purana 145.47 — Adhyaya 145, Shloka 47
The Greatness of the Śālagrāma Sacred Region
तत्र शङ्खप्रभं नाम गुह्यं क्षेत्रं परं मम॥ श्रूयते शङ्खशब्दश्च द्वादश्यामर्द्धरात्रके॥
tatra śaṅkhaprabhaṃ nāma guhyaṃ kṣetraṃ paraṃ mama || śrūyate śaṅkhaśabdaś ca dvādaśyām arddharātrake
ณที่นั้นมีสถานที่ชื่อว่า “ศังคประภะ” เป็นกษेत्रอันสูงสุดและลับยิ่งของเรา และในคืนกึ่งกลางของวันทวาทศี ณ เที่ยงคืน ย่อมได้ยินเสียงสังข์ด้วย
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha speaks as kṣetra-pati, revealing his own guhyatama (confidential) sacred geography to Bhū-devī/listeners."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, receptive","key_question":"Which are your supreme, secret kṣetras on Earth, and what signs mark their hidden presence?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Śaṅkhaprabha-kṣetra","parikrama_context":"Implied tīrtha-yātrā/visitation rather than explicit parikramā; the verse functions as a waypoint in a sacred itinerary.","krishna_connection":"Indirect Vaiṣṇava sacrality via conch-auspice; no explicit Kṛṣṇa-līlā foreshadowing."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Dvādaśī-rātri-śravaṇa/saṅkha-śabda-darśana (tīrtha-niyama)","tithi_month":"Dvādaśī (12th lunar day), at ardharātra (midnight); month not specified","promised_fruit":"Auspicious contact with the kṣetra’s hidden sign (conch-sound), implying heightened tīrtha-phala and Viṣṇu-anugraha."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The conch-sound at midnight signals Viṣṇu’s unseen sovereignty over space-time; the ‘guhya kṣetra’ mirrors the ‘guhā’ (heart-cave) where the Lord is realized.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Śaṅkha as śabda-brahman/veda-dhvani; midnight as sandhi-kāla (liminal ritual time) when the unseen becomes audible.","vedantic_connection":"Śabda (conch/veda) as pramāṇa leading from external tīrtha to inner realization; ‘guhya’ aligns with upaniṣadic ‘guhā-hita’ Brahman."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tīrtha-rahasya and sacred phenomenology","core_concept":"Divine presence is known through subtle signs (śabda, kāla-sandhi) and through the Lord’s self-disclosure.","practical_application":"Observe sacred times (Dvādaśī, midnight) with purity and attentiveness; approach tīrthas as living revelations, not mere locations."}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Geography","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: kṣetra/tīrtha
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 145.53–56 (continuation of kṣetra-listing and hydrological markers)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moonlit sacred grove/riverbank labeled Śaṅkhaprabha; at midnight on Dvādaśī, an unseen conch-sound ripples through the air as Varāha indicates the hidden kṣetra.","item_prompts":["night sky with full/bright moon","subtle sound-waves or conch motif in the air","Varāha as divine instructor (not necessarily boar-bodied) pointing to the site","tīrtha markers: trees, small shrine, river edge","pilgrims listening in reverence"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural palette; Varāha as majestic Vaiṣṇava teacher beside a dark-blue night river; stylized sound-waves with śaṅkha emblem; ornate vegetation and temple-lamp accents.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold-leaf halo around Varāha; embossed śaṅkha motif; midnight-blue background; jewel-toned shrine elements.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting finesse; delicate linework; soft moonlight; Varāha gesturing toward a small kṣetra shrine; conch motif subtly in clouds.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature: cool nocturne tones, rolling landscape, small pilgrims; conch-sound shown as white curling lines; intimate sacred spot."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"mysterious, reverential","suggested_raga":"Mālkauns","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"hushed, resonant, emphasizing ‘guhya’ and ‘arddharātrake’"}
FAQs
It documents a site characterized not only by geography but by an auditory sign and calendrical timing, typical of Purāṇic techniques for sacralizing place through recurring phenomena.
The verse names “Śaṅkhaprabha” as a kṣetra. The excerpt does not supply further coordinates, so the identification remains textual rather than cartographic.
It implies attentiveness to time (tithi and midnight) and observance patterns associated with a heritage site, emphasizing disciplined participation.
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