Varaha Purana 147.42 — Adhyaya 147, Shloka 42
The Sacred Merit of Goniṣkramaṇa
the Tīrtha of the Cows’ Emergence/Release
बहुयज्ञस्य कोटीनां फलं प्राप्नोति निष्कलम् ॥ अथात्र मुंचते प्राणान्भूमे कोटिवटे शुभे ॥
bahuyajñasya koṭīnāṃ phalaṃ prāpnoti niṣkalam || athātra muñcate prāṇān bhūme koṭivaṭe śubhe ||
ผู้ใดบรรลุผลบุญอันสมบูรณ์ไร้ส่วนขาด ซึ่งเทียบเท่าผลแห่งยัญพิธีนานาประการนับโกฏิ ๆ ได้ และโอ้พระแม่ธรณี หากผู้ใดละทิ้งลมหายใจ ณ โกฏิวฏะอันเป็นมงคลนี้ ก็ย่อมได้บุญนั้นเช่นกัน
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"compassion","earth_interaction":"Direct address to Bhū-devī (‘bhūme’) while praising Koṭivaṭa as an auspicious place where dying grants immense sacrificial merit."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"relieved, honored as addressee; receptive to the sanctity of her own landscape","key_question":"What extraordinary merit accrues from worship and especially from relinquishing life at Koṭivaṭa?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Koṭivaṭa","parikrama_context":"Koṭivaṭa is a culminating node in the kṣetra-circuit; death/antya-kriyā orientation suggests it as a final station for pilgrims.","krishna_connection":"Indirect: Koṭivaṭa as a Vaiṣṇava sacred node within Mathurā-maṇḍala anticipates later Kṛṣṇa-centered tīrtha networks, though the verse itself is Varāha/Viṣṇu-focused."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"At auspicious Koṭivaṭa, the merit equals countless sacrifices; relinquishing prāṇa there is declared supremely fruitful.","karmic_consequence":"Observance/residence culminating in death there yields ‘niṣkala’ (undiminished) fruit of crores of sacrifices; dying elsewhere lacks this amplified tīrtha-phala."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Koṭivaṭa becomes a terrestrial ‘yajña-field’ where the aggregate of many sacrifices is concentrated; the Lord’s presence sacralizes space so that prāṇa-tyāga there functions like a final oblation.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"‘Bahuyajña-koṭi-phala’ recasts the tīrtha as a super-yajña; prāṇa-tyāga parallels āhuti into the cosmic order upheld by Viṣṇu/Varāha.","vedantic_connection":"Suggests grace-mediated intensification of karma: proximity to the Lord’s kṣetra transforms finite acts into vast results; hints at tīrtha as upāya supporting liberation-oriented gati."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tīrtha-mahātmyam and grace-amplified karma","core_concept":"Sacred place plus right orientation can magnify merit beyond ordinary ritual capacity; the end of life is a decisive spiritual threshold.","practical_application":"Approach Koṭivaṭa (or analogous tīrthas) with purity, devotion, and remembrance; prioritize inner surrender over mere ‘place-hunting’."}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Ethics","Geography"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: sacred tree-site/tīrtha node
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 147.44 (Koṭivaṭa named as supreme site); Varāha Purāṇa 147.43 (prāṇa-tyāga while steadfast in the Lord’s rites)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At the auspicious Koṭivaṭa banyan, pilgrims worship; an elderly devotee peacefully relinquishes prāṇa, while Varāha addresses Bhū-devī about the immeasurable yajña-fruit.","item_prompts":["Koṭivaṭa banyan with sacred thread/offerings","Varāha speaking to Bhū-devī","devotees performing simple pūjā","serene passing depicted as light rising"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Koṭivaṭa as grand central tree; Varāha and Bhū-devī in dialogue; devotees below; luminous prāṇa-light motif; rich earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf highlighting the tree canopy and halos; Varāha prominent; devotional offerings at the base; small celestial register indicating vast yajña-phala.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: dignified, compassionate tone; detailed banyan roots; subtle spiritual light at the moment of prāṇa-tyāga; balanced composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic banyan by a quiet waterbody; small group of pilgrims; gentle depiction of soul-light; cool, serene atmosphere."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic yet consoling","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"deep, compassionate emphasis on ‘bhūme’ and ‘koṭivate śubhe’"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic strategy of mapping ritual merit onto specific landscapes, supporting the development of regional pilgrimage networks and place-based religious memory.
Koṭivaṭa is presented as a named sacred site (toponym). The excerpt alone does not allow a secure modern identification without external manuscript tradition or commentarial mapping.
The verse promotes place-oriented dharma: valuing disciplined life and the culturally sanctioned idea that dying at a commemorated site is associated with elevated merit.
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