Varaha Purana 186.39 — Adhyaya 186, Shloka 39
Ritual Procedure for Installing Silver and Gold Images, and the Special Status of Śālagrāma
गृहेऽग्निदग्धा भग्ना वा नैव पूज्या वसुन्धरे ॥ आसां तु पूजनाद्गेहे उद्वेगं प्राप्नुयाद्गृही
gṛhe ’gnidagdhā bhagnā vā naiva pūjyā vasundhare || āsāṁ tu pūjanād gehe udvegaṁ prāpnuyād gṛhī
โอ้ วสุธรา หากภายในเรือน (ศิลาศาลคราม) ถูกไฟเผาหรือแตกหัก ก็ไม่ควรบูชา. การบูชาศิลา (ที่ชำรุด) ในบ้าน ย่อมนำความหวั่นไหวทุกข์ร้อนแก่คฤหัสถ์.
Varāha (addressing Pṛthivī/Vasundharā)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Instructional address to Vasundharā about domestic worship-eligibility of stones."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"attentive/curious; receiving ritual guidance for householders","key_question":"Which household stones/objects are fit or unfit for worship, and what are the consequences of improper worship?"}
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":"Do not worship in the home stones/objects that are fire-burnt or broken; such worship brings domestic agitation.","karmic_consequence":"Improper worship of damaged stones leads to udvega (distress/inauspicious unrest) for the householder; avoidance preserves household 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":"ritual-ethics","core_concept":"External order (proper objects) supports inner order (prasāda/peace); negligence in sacred handling breeds anxiety and inauspiciousness.","practical_application":"Inspect worship-stones/icons; replace or relocate damaged items; maintain a clean, stable home-altar to avoid continual mental disturbance."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Household Ethics","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: domestic sacred space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 186.44-47 (Śālagrāma exception and merits)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha instructs Bhūdevī about a householder’s altar where cracked/burnt stones are set aside, emphasizing proper domestic worship.","item_prompts":["Varāha as teacher","Bhūdevī listening","small home altar","burnt stone","broken stone pieces","householder with worried expression","lamp and water-pot"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: seated Varāha teaching Bhūdevī near a stylized domestic shrine; warm earthy palette; clear gestures of prohibition; ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: Varāha and Bhūdevī with gold-leaf haloing; miniature altar with lamp; damaged stones shown to the side; rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework; calm didactic posture; domestic shrine details (kalasha, deepa); subtle depiction of cracked/burnt stones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate indoor scene; soft hills-color palette; Varāha instructing; householder’s anxious face; small altar objects rendered finely."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, cautionary","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, advisory, slightly admonitory"}
FAQs
It documents a concern for the condition of worship-objects in domestic settings, illustrating how Purāṇic texts integrate ritual practice with household well-being.
No specific location is identified; the setting is the general gṛha (household).
Avoid ritual use of compromised objects when they are associated (in the text’s logic) with disturbance to household stability.
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