Varaha Purana 17.18 — Adhyaya 17, Shloka 18
King Prajāpāla’s Visit to Sage Mahātapā’s Hermitage and the Doctrinal Praise of Nārāyaṇa
भगवन् दुःखसंसारमग्नैः पुम्भिस्तितीर्षुभिः । यत्कार्यं तन्ममाचक्ष्व प्रणते शंसितव्रत ॥ १७.१८ ॥
bhagavan duḥkhasaṃsāramagnaiḥ pumbhis titīrṣubhiḥ | yatkāryaṃ tan mamācakṣva praṇate śaṃsitavrata || 17.18 ||
اے بھگون! جو لوگ دکھ بھرے سنسار میں ڈوبے ہیں اور اس سے پار ہونا چاہتے ہیں، اُن کے لیے کیا کرنا واجب ہے؟ میں سرِتسلیم خم کرتا ہوں؛ اے ستودہ عہد والے، مجھے بتائیے۔
Pṛthivī (default dialogue framework: the inquirer addressing Varāha)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Earth (as inquirer) bows and petitions for guidance on crossing saṃsāra; interaction is pedagogical via supplication."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"burdened yet hopeful (aware of duḥkha-saṃsāra; seeking deliverance)","key_question":"For beings sunk in the sorrowful cycle of saṃsāra who wish to cross it, what should be done?"}
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":"soteriology (means to liberation)","core_concept":"Saṃsāra is duḥkha; liberation requires a deliberate sādhana taught by the realized.","practical_application":"Adopt śaraṇāgati (humble surrender) and seek a concrete regimen (bhakti/karma/yoga/jñāna) rather than mere lamentation."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Philosophy (Saṃsāra and liberation-oriented practice)"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: mythic/teaching setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: recurring Earth’s inquiries on dharma and mokṣa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhu Devī (Earth goddess) in reverent posture, hands folded, asking the Blessed Lord for the means to cross saṃsāra.","item_prompts":["Bhu Devī with green/earth-toned garments","añjali mudrā","Varāha/Nārāyaṇa as teacher presence (implied)","ocean imagery as saṃsāra metaphor (optional)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Bhu Devī in graceful añjali; divine teacher opposite; stylized waves hinting saṃsāra; warm ochres and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold background; Bhu Devī richly ornamented; emphasis on devotion and surrender; lotus motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Refined facial emotion (pleading yet composed); soft gradients; minimal symbolic ocean behind.","pahari_prompt":"Delicate linework; Bhu Devī seated on lotus; distant river/ocean band symbolizing saṃsāra; quiet devotional mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"supplicatory, earnest","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, pleading, devotional"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic pedagogical form: a supplicant’s question about how to transcend saṃsāra, framing subsequent instruction as a structured dialogue between inquirer and teacher.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal prompt rather than a tīrtha or sacred-geography reference.
The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry and humility (praṇati) as prerequisites for receiving guidance on right action (kārya) aimed at overcoming suffering within saṃsāra.
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