Varaha Purana 138.81 — Adhyaya 138, Shloka 81
The Episode of the Khañjarīṭa Bird
and the Saukarava Tīrtha’s Merit
न ममेति तवेत्युक्त्वा ह्यादित्यं तीर्थमुत्तमम्॥ क्रोधेनादाय तीव्रेण क्षिप्तो गङ्गाम्भसि त्वरा॥
na mameti tavety uktvā hy ādityaṃ tīrtham uttamam | krodhenādāya tīvreṇa kṣipto gaṅgāmbhasi tvarā ||
‘میرا نہیں—تیرا!’ کہہ کر، آدِتیہ تیرتھ نامی افضل گھاٹ پر، سخت غضب سے مجھے پکڑ کر فوراً گنگا کے پانی میں پھینک دیا گیا۔
Khañjarīṭa
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Āditya-tīrtha (on Gaṅgā)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Anger-driven harm at a sacred ford is especially blameworthy; tīrthas demand restraint, purity, and protection of life.","karmic_consequence":"Violence in/near tīrtha aggravates pāpa; reverent conduct at tīrtha supports purification and auspicious results."}
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":"tīrtha-ethics / sanctity of place","core_concept":"Sacred places magnify outcomes: reverence purifies, but irreverence exposes inner adharma; anger profanes one’s own mind even at holy waters.","practical_application":"Approach pilgrimage sites with self-restraint, non-violence, and humility; treat all beings at tīrtha as under divine protection."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: tīrtha (river ford)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 138.89 (death at Sūryatīrtha and liberation by its power)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At a Gaṅgā ford named Āditya-tīrtha, a boy in anger throws the small bird into the river; the sacred river setting contrasts with the violent act.","item_prompts":["broad flowing Gaṅgā","steps/ford markers","sun motif (Āditya) above or on a banner/stone","boy mid-throw","bird arcing toward water","splash/ripples"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: luminous river band, stylized sun-disc, dramatic throwing gesture, moral contrast through color (hot reds vs cool blues).","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: prominent sun-disc with gold leaf, ornate riverbank architecture, frozen moment of the throw.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: elegant riverbank, detailed ripples, expressive yet refined depiction of anger.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: scenic river landscape with sun in sky, narrative clarity of the throw, delicate natural details."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic, admonitory","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"grave, emphatic on ‘क्रोधेन’ and ‘गङ्गाम्भसि’"}
FAQs
It links narrative action to a named tīrtha, reflecting how Purāṇas embed sacred-geographic catalogues within moral stories, aiding the cultural mapping of pilgrimage landscapes.
Āditya-tīrtha on/at the Gaṅgā is named; precise modern identification varies by regional tīrtha traditions and would require manuscript-localization or parallel tīrtha lists for confirmation.
It critiques anger and possessive dispute as drivers of harmful actions, even in spaces framed as culturally significant (tīrtha).
Ask anything about this verse
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