Varaha Purana 167.22 — Adhyaya 167, Shloka 22
The Glory of the Viśrānti Tīrtha and the Account of a Rākṣasa’s Liberation
तेन दुःखेन संयुक्तो विप्रो वाक्यमथाब्रवीत् ॥ विप्र उवाच ॥ कथं जानासि रक्षस्त्वं तीर्थं विश्रान्तिसंज्ञकम् ॥
tena duḥkhena saṃyukto vipro vākyam athābravīt || vipra uvāca || kathaṃ jānāsi rakṣas tvaṃ tīrthaṃ viśrāntisaṃjñakam
اس غم سے متاثر ہو کر برہمن نے کہا: “اے راکشس! تم ‘وشْرانتی’ نامی مقدس تیرتھ کو کیسے جانتے ہو؟”
Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
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":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"How do you, being a rākṣasa, know the tīrtha called Viśrānti?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Viśrānti-tīrtha (Viśrānti-ghāṭa), Mathurā","parikrama_context":"The question presumes recognized tīrtha-topography within Mathurā-maṇḍala; knowledge of stations is typically transmitted through parikramā and māhātmya recitation.","krishna_connection":"Indirect: Viśrānti’s fame is tied to Kṛṣṇa’s Mathurā līlā; the brāhmaṇa’s surprise underscores the tīrtha’s renown beyond ordinary circles."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Even those in degraded states may possess (or recall) knowledge of tīrthas; such knowledge becomes a doorway to expiation when joined with humility and right request.","karmic_consequence":"Using sacred knowledge to seek purification leads toward release; using it merely as cunning or exploitation deepens sin and distrust."}
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":"eligibility and remembrance (adhikāra-smṛti)","core_concept":"Spiritual opportunity can arise even in fallen embodiments; remembrance/knowledge of the sacred (tīrtha) hints at residual saṃskāras and the possibility of redemption.","practical_application":"Do not dismiss seekers by outer identity; test sincerity through inquiry; encourage sacred practices as means of transformation."}
Subject Matter: ["Sacred Geography","Pilgrimage (Tīrtha)","Dialogue/Inquiry"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: tīrtha/ghāṭa
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya cataloging of tīrthas and their fruits
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The brāhmaṇa, troubled yet curious, questions the rākṣasa about his knowledge of Viśrānti-tīrtha; the ghāṭa is evoked as a sacred reference point.","item_prompts":["brāhmaṇa with furrowed brow, questioning hand","rākṣasa attentive, slightly defensive or humble","hint of river-ghāṭa in backdrop or thought-bubble vignette","name-marker or pavilion suggesting ‘Viśrānti’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic questioning pose; rākṣasa subdued; symbolic inset of ghāṭa/pavilion for Viśrānti; saturated palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate framing; brāhmaṇa’s gesture highlighted with gold; small gold-accented inset of Viśrānti-ghāṭa behind.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined expressions; soft background with faint ghāṭa silhouette; emphasis on dialogue realism.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: conversational scene with a small narrative inset of Mathurā riverbank; delicate colors and expressive faces."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"inquiring, slightly tense","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"probing with a restrained edge, then softening into curiosity"}
FAQs
It frames a tīrtha-māhātmya episode through interrogative dialogue, a common Purāṇic method for introducing place-based traditions and their etymologies.
The verse names Viśrānti-tīrtha; the surrounding passage later associates the narrative with Ujjayinī (classically identified with Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh).
The verse models disciplined inquiry—seeking the provenance of sacred knowledge even when it appears in unexpected speakers.
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