Varaha Purana 38.23 — Adhyaya 38, Shloka 23
The Hunter’s Austerity and the Gaining of Durvāsas’ Favor
व्याध उवाच । व्याधोऽस्मि पापकर्मास्मि ब्रह्महास्मि सरिद्वरे । तथापि संस्मृता देवि पाहि मां शरणं गतम् ॥ ३८.२३ ॥
vyādha uvāca | vyādho 'smi pāpa-karmā 'smi brahmahā 'smi saridvare | tathāpi saṃsmṛtā devi pāhi māṃ śaraṇaṃ gatam || 38.23 ||
พรานกล่าวว่า “ข้าพเจ้าเป็นพราน เป็นผู้กระทำกรรมบาป เป็นผู้ฆ่าพราหมณ์ ณ ท่าน้ำอันประเสริฐนี้ ถึงกระนั้นก็ตาม โอ เทวี! เมื่อระลึกถึงพระองค์แล้ว ขอทรงคุ้มครองข้าพเจ้า ผู้มาขอพึ่งพิง”
Vyādha (the hunter)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"compassion-invoked (as goddess addressed)","key_question":"Can divine refuge and protection be granted even to one who confesses grave sin (including brahmahatyā)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Devikā river (sarid-vara/tīrtha)"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Confession of sin and śaraṇāgati at a sacred river/tīrtha is presented as a doorway to protection and purification, even for severe transgressions.","karmic_consequence":"Sincere refuge and remembrance invite cleansing and relief from sin’s burden; persistence in sin without repentance sustains suffering and downfall."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"grace and repentance","core_concept":"Even the gravest sinner can turn toward protection through honest self-assessment and surrender to the sacred.","practical_application":"Acknowledge wrongdoing without self-justification; seek purification through accepted means (tīrtha, guru-guidance, prāyaścitta) and commit to change."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Atonement (Prāyaścitta)","Sacred Geography"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: tīrtha/ford
Related Themes: 38.38.24 (guru-pāda-dhyāna as the hunter’s core sādhana)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At the Devikā ford, the hunter stands with folded hands, confessing his sins and pleading to the river-goddess for protection.","item_prompts":["vyādha with añjali-mudrā","river as a gentle goddess-presence (subtle anthropomorphic aura)","ford steps or shallow crossing","bow/quiver set aside to show surrender","somber yet hopeful lighting"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: river personified as Devī with calm compassion, hunter in añjali, stylized water patterns, devotional gravity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Devikā Devī as regal river-goddess with gold halo, hunter kneeling, gold accents on water and ornaments, strong bhakti mood.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined devotional scene, soft glow around the river-deity, detailed costume, emphasis on humility and confession.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate riverside prayer, delicate expressions, cool river tones, minimal iconography suggesting a living goddess in the stream."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"penitential and pleading","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"low, earnest, supplicatory"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic narrative motif in which a socially marginal figure confesses grave transgressions and seeks protection, reflecting medieval Indic discourse on sin, confession-like self-disclosure, and the accessibility of refuge/atonement themes in public sacred settings.
The verse does not name a specific river; it uses the generic expression saridvare (“at an excellent river-ford”), a formula that often signals a tīrtha-like setting but is not sufficient for secure modern identification without surrounding verses.
The verse foregrounds accountability (explicit admission of wrongdoing) and the ethical-philosophical theme of śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge), implying that even those who acknowledge serious harm may appeal for protection/recourse within a moral-ritual framework.
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