Varaha Purana 42.4 — Adhyaya 42, Shloka 4
Ritual Procedure for the Phālguna Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī Narasiṃha Worship, with the Narrative of King Vatsa
तदग्रे घटमादाय सितवस्त्रयुगान्वितम् । तस्योपरि नृसिंहं तु सौवर्णं ताम्रभाजने । सौवर्णशक्तितः कृत्वा दारुवंशमयेऽपि वा ॥ ४२.४ ॥
tadagre ghaṭam ādāya sitavastrayugānvitam | tasyopari nṛsiṃhaṃ tu sauvarṇaṃ tāmrabhājane | sauvarṇaśaktitaḥ kṛtvā dāruvaṃśamayе'pi vā || 42.4 ||
จากนั้นเบื้องหน้าให้นำหม้อน้ำที่มีผ้าขาวเป็นคู่ประกอบไว้ แล้ววางเหนือหม้อนั้นในภาชนะทองแดงซึ่งประดิษฐานรูปนรสิงห์เป็นทองคำ; หากมีกำลังทรัพย์ให้ทำด้วยทองคำ มิฉะนั้นอาจทำด้วยไม้หรือไม้ไผ่ได้
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; not explicit in fragment)
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":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"For a prescribed rite, arrange a kalaśa with white cloths and install a Nṛsiṃha image above it in a copper vessel, using gold if one has the means, otherwise wood/bamboo is acceptable.","karmic_consequence":"Means-proportionate giving preserves dharma and yields merit without the fault of overreaching or neglecting the rite."}
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 (means-based ethics)","core_concept":"Dharma accommodates adhikāra: the substance of offering may vary by capacity while intention and correctness of procedure remain central.","practical_application":"Perform worship and gifting with clean arrangement and sincere devotion; choose materials within one’s means rather than abandoning the rite."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Iconography","Material Culture","Ethics (means-based offering)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: śraddhā-bhakti
Type: ritual-space (gṛha/maṇḍapa/vedī implied)
Related Themes: 42.42.5 (dāna to a Veda-knower on dvādaśī); 42.42.6 (exemplum of King Vatsa)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual setup: a kalaśa (water-pot) draped with two white cloths; above it, a small Nṛsiṃha icon placed in/over a copper vessel, with options of gold or humble wood/bamboo.","item_prompts":["kalaśa with water","pair of white cloths (sitavastra-yuga)","copper vessel (tāmra-bhājana)","golden Nṛsiṃha icon","wood/bamboo substitute icon","simple altar/maṇḍapa setting","offerings (flowers, incense)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal ritual altar with bright flat colors; Nṛsiṃha icon stylized, copper vessel rendered warm red-brown; white cloths crisp; minimal background with lamp and flowers.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central kalaśa and Nṛsiṃha icon with heavy gold-leaf emphasis on the icon and ornaments; rich reds/greens; embossed halo; copper vessel glossy.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading; detailed textiles for the white cloths; refined copper sheen; small but expressive Nṛsiṃha icon above the pot.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate indoor shrine scene; slender figures implied as hands arranging the pot; pastel palette; detailed vessels and cloth folds; serene devotional mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"ritual-instructional, composed","suggested_raga":"Śrī (or Bilāval for clarity)","pace":"medium-slow, syllabically clear","voice_tone":"didactic, steady, reverent"}
FAQs
It documents a prescriptive ritual arrangement using common domestic objects (ghaṭa, white cloth) alongside metalwork (copper vessel, gold icon), reflecting material culture and adaptable practice in Purāṇic ritual literature.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it focuses on the procedure and materials for a ritual installation.
The instruction emphasizes proportionality to one’s means (śakti): an ideal offering (gold) is mentioned, but acceptable substitutes (wood/bamboo) are explicitly allowed, indicating an ethics of accessibility rather than exclusivity.
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