Varaha Purana 122.77 — Adhyaya 122, Shloka 77
The Greatness of Kokāmukha
Sacred Site Eulogy and Salvific Narrative
अथ कश्चिन्मृगव्याधो हत्वा वनचरान्बहून्॥ संगृह्य मांसभारान्वै तेन मार्गेण संगतः
atha kaścin mṛgavyādho hatvā vanacarān bahūn || saṃgṛhya māṃsabhārān vai tena mārgeṇa saṅgataḥ
پھر ایک ہرن کا شکاری، جنگل کے بہت سے جانور مار کر، گوشت کے گٹھے جمع کیے؛ اسی راستے سے گزرتے ہوئے وہ اس سے آ ملا۔
Unspecified (female character narrating; default framework: Varāha–Pṛthivī context)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"observer"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Harming many ‘forest-dwellers’ for meat is framed as ethically weighty violence, inviting scrutiny of hunting as livelihood.","karmic_consequence":"Implied accrual of pāpa through excessive killing; compassion and restraint implied as dharmic counterweight."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of violence (hiṃsā)","core_concept":"Quantitative excess (‘many’ killed) intensifies moral gravity; livelihood does not automatically sanctify harm.","practical_application":"If one must live by difficult trades, practice limits, remorse, and compensatory charity; otherwise choose non-violent livelihoods."}
Subject Matter: ["Ecology","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: bībhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: forest trail
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 122.83–122.84 (setup: hunger, bird searching); Varāha Purāṇa 122.87–122.88 (bird’s intervention and limitation)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A rugged hunter on a forest path, carrying multiple heavy meat bundles, weapons visible, the aftermath of slaughter implied; he approaches an oncoming figure along the same route.","item_prompts":["hunter with bow/spear/knife","blood-stained meat bundles","forest path","distant figure approaching","fallen leaves and dense woods"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural drama; hunter with stylized weaponry and strong stance; meat bundles emphasized; dark green forest framing an impending encounter.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore frontal hunter figure with gold accents on weapon and ornaments; meat bundles as bold shapes; background simplified into decorative forest motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore detail on hunter’s attire and weapon; subdued gore; emphasis on moral tension through facial expression and posture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari narrative vignette; winding forest path; hunter burdened with loads; delicate trees; sense of foreboding in composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"tense-narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavī","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"grave, slightly sharpened diction"}
FAQs
It reflects the social reality of hunting and provisioning as a narrative element, which Purāṇic texts use to explore moral causality and human–animal relations.
No explicit location is named; “path/route” (mārga) functions as a generic narrative connector.
The verse frames violence as part of a consequential chain of events, inviting reflection on the costs of sustaining oneself through harm.
Ask anything about this verse
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