Varaha Purana 180.95 — Adhyaya 180, Shloka 95
The Glory of Dhruva-Tīrtha: Rules of Ancestor Libations and Śrāddha, and the Consequences of Lineage-Continuity
सकौतुकाः महाभागाः श्राद्धदानं च नैव ह ॥ नगरस्थाश्च ते सर्वे ब्राह्मणा भावपूजिताः ॥ १०६ ॥ राज्ञा नीतास्तत्र तीर्थे श्राद्धार्थं मुनिना सह ॥ लोकैः परिवृतो राजा ध्रुवतीर्थं गतः प्रभुः ॥
sakautukā mahābhāgāḥ śrāddhadānaṃ ca naiva ha || nagarasthāś ca te sarve brāhmaṇā bhāvapūjitāḥ || 106 || rājñā nītās tatra tīrthe śrāddhārthaṃ muninā saha || lokaiḥ parivṛto rājā dhruvatīrthaṃ gataḥ prabhuḥ ||
เหล่ามหาภาคผู้เปี่ยมด้วยความใคร่รู้ต่างมุ่งมั่นในการถวายทานศราทธะ (śrāddha-dāna) บรรดาพราหมณ์ทั้งปวงที่อยู่ในนคร ผู้ได้รับการบูชาด้วยใจจริง ถูกพระราชาพร้อมด้วยฤๅษีนำไปยังทิรถะนั้นเพื่อประกอบศราทธะ รายล้อมด้วยประชาชน พระราชาผู้เป็นใหญ่เสด็จไปยังธรุวตีรถะ (Dhruvatīrtha)
Narrator (default framework: Varāha instructive narrative voice)
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":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Dhruvatīrtha (ध्रुवतीर्थ)","parikrama_context":"The king proceeds with the city’s Brāhmaṇas and populace to a named tīrtha; implies a pilgrimage circuit (tīrtha-yātrā) within the Mathurā-maṇḍala though parikramā is not explicitly stated.","krishna_connection":"Mathurā as sacred landscape implicitly anticipates Vaiṣṇava sanctity; no direct Kṛṣṇa-līlā reference in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"A ruler should escort and honor qualified Brāhmaṇas and perform śrāddha at a tīrtha with proper guidance (muni) and communal reverence.","karmic_consequence":"Proper tīrtha-śrāddha with honored Brāhmaṇas yields ancestral satisfaction and public dharmic merit; neglect implies loss of pitṛ-prīti and diminished puṇya."}
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 (ritual ethics)","core_concept":"Dharma is strengthened when ritual, social honor (satkāra), and sacred place converge under wise guidance.","practical_application":"When performing ancestral rites, choose a sanctified place, invite worthy Brāhmaṇas respectfully, and act with collective responsibility (especially for leaders)."}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Sacred Geography","Ritual Studies","Social Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tīrtha (pilgrimage ford)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa Mathurā-māhātmya sections on tīrthas and śrāddha efficacy (general)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king, surrounded by townspeople, leads honored city Brāhmaṇas and a sage toward Dhruvatīrtha for śrāddha rites.","item_prompts":["procession with king and retinue","Brāhmaṇas with kamaṇḍalu and daṇḍa","sage accompanying","river/ford with steps","ritual baskets and vessels","bannered city backdrop"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal royal procession in saturated reds/ochres, stylized riverbank tīrtha steps, Brāhmaṇas with white garments, calm devotional faces, ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central king with halo-like arch, gold-leaf accents on ornaments and tīrtha lamps, richly patterned textiles, river rendered as decorative bands.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading, refined jewelry, serene tīrtha landscape with subtle architecture, emphasis on dignified ritual mood.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hilly riverbank interpretation, lyrical procession, pastel palette, detailed garments, small figures of townspeople framing the sacred ford."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn and auspicious","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"steady, reverential, narrative"}
FAQs
It documents a Purāṇic model of royal patronage: rulers facilitate ritual performance at tīrthas and include learned specialists, reflecting how pilgrimage and public ritual were imagined as civic-religious events.
Dhruvatīrtha is explicitly named; its precise modern identification varies by regional tradition and requires cross-comparison with tīrtha lists and local māhātmya materials.
Collective participation, respectful treatment of learned communities, and intentional giving (dāna) are framed as socially constructive practices.
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