Varaha Purana 194.22: Adhyaya 194, Shloka 22
The Return of Naciketas from Yama’s Abode: Inquiry into Death, Karma, and Dharmic Release
ब्रूहि सत्यं त्वया दृष्टं श्रुतं च सविशेषकम् ॥ ऋषीणां श्रोतुकामानां पितुश्चैव विशेषतः ॥
brūhi satyaṃ tvayā dṛṣṭaṃ śrutaṃ ca saviśeṣakam || ṛṣīṇāṃ śrotukāmānāṃ pituś caiva viśeṣataḥ ||
ข้าแต่ท่านผู้เจริญ จงกล่าวความจริงเถิด—สิ่งที่ท่านได้เห็นและได้ยิน พร้อมทั้งรายละเอียดโดยเฉพาะ เพื่อประโยชน์แก่เหล่าฤๅษีผู้ใคร่ฟัง และโดยยิ่งเพื่อบิดาของข้าด้วย
Pṛthivī (default dialogue framework; inquirer voice)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"What is the truthful, detailed account of what was seen and heard in Yama’s realm—i.e., the structure of afterlife consequences and moral causality?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Speak satya with viśeṣa (specifics) when asked by qualified hearers—truthful testimony is treated as a dharmic duty, especially toward elders/parents.","karmic_consequence":"Truthful, detailed instruction supports dharma and benefits speaker and listeners; concealment/falsehood obstructs right understanding and accrues demerit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of speech + cosmological inquiry","core_concept":"Satya is not merely non-lying; it includes faithful, precise reporting for the welfare of seekers—knowledge is a responsibility when one has ‘seen and heard’.","practical_application":"When conveying spiritual/ethical matters, avoid vagueness and exaggeration; give actionable specifics suited to the audience, honoring elders and teachers."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Cosmology"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: teaching dialogue space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 194.21-23 (arrival and praise of Nāchiketa)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An earnest petitioner (per context, Pṛthivī’s inquirer voice) urges Nāchiketa to speak truthfully and in detail for the assembled seers and especially for the father.","item_prompts":["speaker with open-palmed request gesture","Nāchiketa attentive and composed","assembled ṛṣis leaning in","an elder/father figure indicated","scroll/teaching setting"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong hand-gestures of request; layered audience behind; warm, didactic atmosphere; subtle emphasis on the ‘father’ as an elder seated prominently.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf highlights on halos; petitioner and Nāchiketa in central exchange; audience arranged symmetrically; rich ornamental borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined classroom-like calm; detailed props (kamandalu, palm-leaf manuscripts); soft lighting emphasizing sincerity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate dialogue with clear narrative cues; gentle landscape; expressive but restrained faces; elder figure slightly apart to mark ‘viśeṣataḥ’."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"earnest, instructive","suggested_raga":"Khamas","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear and persuasive, with emphasis on ‘brūhi satyaṃ’ and ‘saviśeṣakam’"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative technique: an inquirer requests a truthful, detailed report for an audience of sages, establishing an authoritative setting for ethical-cosmological teaching.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse fragment.
A commitment to truthful speech and careful, detailed testimony—presented as the proper foundation for instruction.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.