Varaha Purana 61.12: Adhyaya 61, Shloka 12
The Observance for the Fulfilment of Desires: Worship of Keśava in the Form of Guha
Kumāra
तथा राज्यच्युतैरन्यैर्बहुभिर्नृपसत्तमैः । पौराणिकं व्रतं चैव सिद्ध्यर्थं नृपसत्तम ॥ ६१.१२ ॥
tathā rājyacyutair anyair bahubhir nṛpasattamaiḥ | paurāṇikaṃ vrataṃ caiva siddhyarthaṃ nṛpasattama || 61.12 ||
ข้าแต่มหาราชผู้ประเสริฐ เช่นเดียวกัน บรรดาพระราชาผู้เลิศอีกมากซึ่งสิ้นราชสมบัติ ได้ประกอบพรตตามคัมภีร์ปุราณะนี้เพื่อความสำเร็จ
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","earth_interaction":"Varāha generalizes the exemplum: many dispossessed kings undertook this Purāṇic vow for siddhi."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"reassured; confidence building through multiple precedents","key_question":"Is this vow broadly effective beyond a single exemplar, especially for rulers who have fallen from power?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"For kings fallen from sovereignty, undertaking the Purāṇic vow as prescribed is presented as a means toward siddhi and restoration.","karmic_consequence":"Observance supports success/restoration; ignoring dharmic remedies leaves the king in continued decline and instability."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Paurāṇika vrata (name not specified in excerpt)","tithi_month":"Not specified in this excerpt","promised_fruit":"Siddhi (successful attainment), contextually including regaining sovereignty."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma as social stabilizer","core_concept":"Ritual discipline is portrayed as a legitimate means to re-align fortune and authority when grounded in dharma.","practical_application":"Leaders in crisis should adopt dharmic observances (vrata, dāna, niyama) as part of ethical restoration, not mere power-seeking."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship","Ritual Observance"]
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: royal/political sphere
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 61.61.10-11 (fruits and Nala precedent)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A gathering of humbled kings approaching a sacred teacher/altar, undertaking a Purāṇic vow for success; Varāha’s authority frames the rite.","item_prompts":["multiple kings without crowns (fallen state)","vow-taking gesture (saṅkalpa)","altar with offerings","Varāha as presiding teacher","symbols of regained sovereignty (crown/throne in background)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: procession of kings, stylized faces, Varāha central, ritual altar, strong reds/ochres, ornate frame.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf accents on crowns/throne motifs, Varāha halo, kings in reverent posture, rich textiles.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: balanced composition, fine jewelry detail, solemn kings, clear altar elements, Varāha calm and commanding.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative procession in mountainous palette, expressive faces of fallen kings, simple altar, Varāha as divine guide."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn, encouraging","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"authoritative with a supportive cadence"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic rhetorical pattern in which exemplary rulers are cited as precedents for adopting a vrata (observance), indicating how Purāṇic texts frame ethical-ritual practice as socially validated through royal exemplars.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it focuses on royal actors and the adoption of a Paurāṇika vow.
The verse presents the philosophical instruction that disciplined observance (vrata), as preserved in Purāṇic tradition, is a recognized means pursued by exemplary figures to regain or attain ‘siddhi’ (successful outcome), especially after political or personal reversal.
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