Varaha Purana 47.12 — Adhyaya 47, Shloka 12
The Rite of Śrāvaṇa Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī (Dāmodara Worship) and the Exemplum of King Nṛga
तत्रापश्यन्त ते सुप्तं हेमरत्नविभूषितम् । नृगं राजानमत्युग्रं श्रिया परमया युतम् ॥ ४७.१२ ॥
tatrāpaśyanta te suptaṃ hemaratnavibhūṣitam | nṛgaṃ rājānam atiyugraṃ śriyā paramayā yutam || 47.12 ||
ที่นั่นพวกเขาเห็นพระนฤคะราชาบรรทมหลับ ประดับด้วยทองและรัตนะ ทรงองอาจน่าเกรงขาม และทรงประกอบด้วยสิริอันยิ่ง
Varāha (default narrative frame; speaker not explicit in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Śrī (royal splendor) attracts both reverence and predation; dharma requires protection of the sleeping/unguarded and condemnation of opportunistic harm.","karmic_consequence":"To exploit another’s vulnerability for wealth leads to intensified pāpa; to protect the vulnerable accrues puṇya and royal legitimacy."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"vairāgya-tinged ethics","core_concept":"External splendor (aiśvarya) is not ultimate security; it can become the very cause of danger when met by greed.","practical_application":"Cultivate inner security (dharma, self-control) alongside outer prosperity; avoid ostentation in unsafe contexts."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship","Courtly Culture"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: narrative focal spot
Related Themes: Hunters’ report to their leader and the escalation from sight to intent (next verse)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Hunters peer at a sleeping king whose body gleams with gold and gemstones, radiating royal splendor even in the forest night.","item_prompts":["close-up of jewelry (necklaces, armlets)","soft halo-like tejas around king","hunters’ astonished/greedy faces","moonlight glinting on gems","leafy shadows"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: luminous ornaments with stylized highlights; expressive eyes of hunters; controlled composition with central radiance.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavy gold-foil jewelry and embossed gem motifs; king as radiant centerpiece; hunters as secondary figures.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: fine detailing of gems and textiles; subtle glow effects; naturalistic faces showing greed and surprise.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: jewel-like color accents against cool night; delicate profile figures; emphasis on contrast of splendor and forest."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"wonder edged with foreboding","suggested_raga":"Kalyāṇi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, descriptive, slightly tightened at ‘atyugram’"}
FAQs
It reflects Purāṇic narrative technique: describing a king through markers of sovereignty (ornaments, splendor, and perceived power) as a prelude to ethical or didactic developments in the surrounding episode.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it is a situational marker (“there”) dependent on the immediately preceding narrative context.
Implicitly, the verse sets up a contrast often used in Purāṇic exempla: external prosperity and royal magnificence may precede moral testing or consequences explored in adjacent verses.
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