Varaha Purana 17.18 — Adhyaya 17, Shloka 18
King Prajāpāla’s Visit to Sage Mahātapā’s Hermitage and the Doctrinal Praise of Nārāyaṇa
भगवन् दुःखसंसारमग्नैः पुम्भिस्तितीर्षुभिः । यत्कार्यं तन्ममाचक्ष्व प्रणते शंसितव्रत ॥ १७.१८ ॥
bhagavan duḥkhasaṃsāramagnaiḥ pumbhis titīrṣubhiḥ | yatkāryaṃ tan mamācakṣva praṇate śaṃsitavrata || 17.18 ||
ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นเจ้า! มนุษย์ผู้จมอยู่ในสังสารวัฏอันเปี่ยมทุกข์และปรารถนาจะข้ามพ้น ควรกระทำสิ่งใด? ข้าพเจ้าขอนอบน้อม; โอผู้มีวัตรอันสรรเสริญ โปรดบอกแก่ข้าพเจ้าเถิด।
Pṛthivī (default dialogue framework: the inquirer addressing Varāha)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Earth (as inquirer) bows and petitions for guidance on crossing saṃsāra; interaction is pedagogical via supplication."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"burdened yet hopeful (aware of duḥkha-saṃsāra; seeking deliverance)","key_question":"For beings sunk in the sorrowful cycle of saṃsāra who wish to cross it, what should be done?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
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":"soteriology (means to liberation)","core_concept":"Saṃsāra is duḥkha; liberation requires a deliberate sādhana taught by the realized.","practical_application":"Adopt śaraṇāgati (humble surrender) and seek a concrete regimen (bhakti/karma/yoga/jñāna) rather than mere lamentation."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Philosophy (Saṃsāra and liberation-oriented practice)"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: mythic/teaching setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring Earth’s inquiries on dharma and mokṣa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhu Devī (Earth goddess) in reverent posture, hands folded, asking the Blessed Lord for the means to cross saṃsāra.","item_prompts":["Bhu Devī with green/earth-toned garments","añjali mudrā","Varāha/Nārāyaṇa as teacher presence (implied)","ocean imagery as saṃsāra metaphor (optional)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Bhu Devī in graceful añjali; divine teacher opposite; stylized waves hinting saṃsāra; warm ochres and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold background; Bhu Devī richly ornamented; emphasis on devotion and surrender; lotus motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Refined facial emotion (pleading yet composed); soft gradients; minimal symbolic ocean behind.","pahari_prompt":"Delicate linework; Bhu Devī seated on lotus; distant river/ocean band symbolizing saṃsāra; quiet devotional mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"supplicatory, earnest","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, pleading, devotional"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic pedagogical form: a supplicant’s question about how to transcend saṃsāra, framing subsequent instruction as a structured dialogue between inquirer and teacher.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal prompt rather than a tīrtha or sacred-geography reference.
The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry and humility (praṇati) as prerequisites for receiving guidance on right action (kārya) aimed at overcoming suffering within saṃsāra.
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