Varaha Purana 17.16 — Adhyaya 17, Shloka 16
King Prajāpāla’s Visit to Sage Mahātapā’s Hermitage and the Doctrinal Praise of Nārāyaṇa
स मुनिस्तं नृपं दृष्ट्वा प्रजापालमकल्मषम् । अभ्यागतक्रियां चक्रे आसनस्वागतादिभिः ॥ १७.१६ ॥
sa munis taṁ nṛpaṁ dṛṣṭvā prajā-pālam akalmaṣam | abhyāgata-kriyāṁ cakre āsana-svāgatādibhiḥ || 17.16 ||
ฤๅษีนั้นครั้นเห็นพระราชาผู้พิทักษ์ประชาอันปราศจากมลทินแล้ว ก็ประกอบพิธีต้อนรับอาคันตุกะตามธรรมเนียม เริ่มด้วยถวายอาสนะและถ้อยคำต้อนรับเป็นต้น।
Narrator (default frame: Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue context; speaker not explicit in this verse)
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":"A sage should perform proper atithi-satkāra for a righteous king/guest—offering seat, welcome, and due reception rites.","karmic_consequence":"Proper hospitality sustains dharma and earns puṇya and social harmony; neglect of atithi-dharma leads to demerit and loss of auspiciousness."}
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":"dharma-ācāra (normative conduct)","core_concept":"External etiquette (āsana-svāgata) is an expression of inner purity and recognition of dharma in the other.","practical_application":"Receive guests—especially virtuous persons—with respectful words, seat, and appropriate services; treat hospitality as a daily discipline."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship","Social Conduct","Hospitality (Atithi-satkāra)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: mādhurya
Type: hermitage/forest dwelling
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: atithi-dharma passages in dharma/vrata sections (general)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A serene hermitage scene: the sage rises to welcome a spotless, duty-bound king, offering a seat and formal greetings.","item_prompts":["forest āśrama hut","sage with kamaṇḍalu and matted hair","king with modest regalia","offered āsana (seat)","añjali gesture","welcome water/ārghya vessel"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Earthy palette hermitage tableau; sage in calm stance offering āsana to a humble king; stylized foliage and clear linework.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-backed court-to-hermitage meeting; ornate yet restrained king; sage offering a decorated seat; emphasis on auspicious vessels.","mysore_prompt":"Soft shading; detailed textiles; gentle expressions of vinaya; hermitage props (water pot, kusa mat).","pahari_prompt":"Himalayan miniature feel; pine/forest backdrop; intimate scale; king bowing slightly as sage gestures to a seat."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"composed, formal, dharmic","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, respectful, narrative"}
FAQs
It preserves a normative social ethic found across Sanskrit literature: the formal reception of guests (abhyāgata-kriyā), reflecting ideals of civility, reciprocity, and the moral economy of travel and patronage in premodern South Asia.
No specific place-name appears in this verse; it is a general narrative description of an encounter between a sage and a king.
The verse foregrounds disciplined hospitality—offering a seat, welcome, and related courtesies—as a culturally valued duty, while also characterizing the ideal ruler as a protector of the people and ethically “unstained.”
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