Varaha Purana 99.4 — Adhyaya 99, Shloka 4
The Greatness and Rite of the Sesame-Cow (Tiladhenu) Gift
क्वचित्किंचिद्भवेद्दत्तं स्वपदं वेद सर्ववित् ॥ स्वायम्भुवे हतो दैत्यो वैष्णव्या मन्दरे गिरौ ॥
kvacit kiṃcid bhaved dattaṃ svapadaṃ veda sarvavit || svāyambhuve hato daityo vaiṣṇavyā mandare girau ||
บางคราวสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่งอาจถูกประทาน; ผู้รอบรู้ทั้งปวงย่อมรู้ฐานะของตนเอง ในสวายัมภูวะมันวันตระ ไวษณวีได้สังหารอสูร ณ เขามันทระ (มันทรา)
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha speaks to Bhū-devī as narrator of manvantara-history, situating divine interventions in cosmic chronology."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"How do divine boons and slayings unfold across manvantaras and sacred places, and what is their cosmic placement (svapada)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
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":"cosmic order / adhikāra","core_concept":"The omniscient knows ‘svapada’—one’s proper station/measure—implying that boons and outcomes are governed by cosmic fitness and time-cycles (manvantara).","practical_application":"Cultivate discernment of one’s adhikāra and timing; read mythic geography as a map of dharma unfolding through epochs."}
Subject Matter: ["Mythic History","Sacred Mountains","Cosmic Chronology (Manvantaras)"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: sacred mountain
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: manvantara-kathā sections (Svāyambhuva cycle); Varāha Purāṇa: tīrtha/śaila-prasaṅga passages mentioning Mandara
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha, as divine teacher, recounts an ancient manvantara episode: on Mount Mandara, a demon lies slain by Vaiṣṇavī; the mountain looms as a sacred axis while Bhū-devī listens.","item_prompts":["Mount Mandara peak and forests","Varāha in regal divine form (teacher posture)","Bhū-devī seated/listening","a fallen asura figure","a radiant feminine ‘Vaiṣṇavī’ presence (chakra/śaṅkha motifs)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha as majestic Viṣṇu-avatāra teaching Bhū-devī; Mandara rendered as layered green mountain; Vaiṣṇavī with subtle chakra aura; warm reds/greens, bold outlines.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Varāha-teacher with Bhū-devī; gold-leaf halo; Mandara stylized; Vaiṣṇavī with ornate jewelry and chakra emblem; rich reds and embossed ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: delicate linework; serene Varāha and attentive Bhū-devī; Mandara landscape with soft gradations; subdued depiction of slain asura; refined ornamentation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical mountain scenery; Mandara as blue-green ridges; small but vivid figures—Varāha narrating, Bhū-devī listening; Vaiṣṇavī as luminous warrior-goddess; crisp natural details."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"mythic-chronicle, contemplative wonder","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"grave, narrative, authoritative"}
FAQs
It preserves a mythic-historiographic style typical of Purāṇas: events are anchored in Manvantara chronology and mapped onto named landscapes such as Mandara, supporting pilgrimage and cultural memory.
Mount Mandara is named; in scholarship it is a mythic-cosmographic mountain associated with churning narratives and with multiple proposed identifications in the Indian subcontinent, varying by text and region.
The passage implies a moral-cosmic order where destructive forces (daitya) are overcome, reinforcing the Purāṇic theme of restoring balance through righteous power.
Ask anything about this verse
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