Varaha Purana 113.23 — Adhyaya 113, Shloka 23
Hymn to Varāha and Pṛthivī’s Inquiry
Prelude to the Sanatkumāra Dialogue
पुनश्च रावणो रक्षः क्षयितं स्वेन तेजसा ॥ बलिश्च बद्धो भगवन् त्वया वामनरूपिणा
punaśca rāvaṇo rakṣaḥ kṣayitaṃ svena tejasā || baliśca baddho bhagavan tvayā vāmanarūpiṇā
پھر راکشس راون تمہارے ہی تَیج سے ہلاک ہوا؛ اور اے بھگوان، وامن کے روپ میں تم نے بَلی کو بھی باندھ دیا۔
Pṛthivī
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"reassured by repeated removal of oppressive forces; devotional remembrance"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Vāmana-Trivikrama and Rāma narratives are part of the avatāra continuum that later frames Kṛṣṇa’s līlā; no explicit Mathurā cue here."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"Kings who overreach (Rāvaṇa by hubris; Bali by overextension despite generosity) are restrained to re-establish rightful cosmic sovereignty.","karmic_consequence":"Hubris invites destruction; even virtuous generosity must align with dharma—otherwise binding/limitation follows for cosmic balance."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"sovereignty and surrender","core_concept":"Tejas of the Lord subdues adharmic domination; surrender (even when compelled, as Bali) becomes a pivot toward grace and order.","practical_application":"Temper ambition with humility; practice dāna with discernment and devotion; accept limits as dharmic guidance."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Mythic History","Kingship"]
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mythic-epic realms
Related Themes: Earth’s sequential listing of avatāras before posing her cosmological question (vv. 26–27)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A paired remembrance: Rāvaṇa’s fall by divine tejas and Bali’s binding by Vāmana—two avatāra interventions restoring cosmic order.","item_prompts":["Split-panel composition: (1) Rāma’s radiance overwhelming Rāvaṇa (symbolic) (2) Vāmana dwarf-brāhmaṇa with umbrella and kamaṇḍalu binding Bali","golden tejas aura","Bali with folded hands, humbled","cosmic scale hint for Trivikrama (shadow/footprint)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural diptych: left—Rāma’s serene power vs. crowned Rāvaṇa; right—Vāmana small yet radiant, Bali subdued; rich ornamentation.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Vāmana central with gold-leaf halo; Bali kneeling; secondary medallion showing Rāvaṇa’s defeat; heavy gilded borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: balanced narrative panels, delicate faces; Vāmana’s brahmacārin details; subdued but luminous tejas.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical two-scene storytelling with soft landscapes; Vāmana-Bali in courtly setting; Rāvaṇa scene stylized and symbolic."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"exalting, narrative","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, uplifted on ‘tejasā’ and ‘vāmanarūpiṇā’"}
FAQs
It compresses multiple major narrative cycles (Rāma/Rāvaṇa; Vāmana/Bali) into a catalog, useful for studying how Purāṇas create a unified moral history.
No specific terrestrial location is named in this verse; it references persons and actions rather than a pilgrimage geography.
The verse emphasizes restraint of violent or overreaching sovereignty and the re-establishment of proportional order.
Ask anything about this verse
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