Varaha Purana 42.3 — Adhyaya 42, Shloka 3
Ritual Procedure for the Phālguna Bright-Fortnight Dvādaśī Narasiṃha Worship, with the Narrative of King Vatsa
कण्ठं तु शितिकण्ठाय पिङ्गकेशाय वै शिरः । असुरध्वंसनायेति चक्रं तोयात्मने तथा । शङ्खमित्येव सम्पूज्य गन्धपुष्पफलैस्तथा ॥ ४२.३ ॥
kaṇṭhaṃ tu śitikaṇṭhāya piṅgakeśāya vai śiraḥ | asuradhvaṃsanāyeti cakraṃ toyātmane tathā | śaṅkhamityeva sampūjya gandhapuṣpaphalaistathā || 42.3 ||
گلا ‘شِتیکنٹھائے’ کے لیے پوجا جائے اور سر ‘پِنگکیشائے’ کے لیے؛ چکر ‘اسُردھونسَنائے’ کے منتر سے، اور شنکھ ‘تویاَتمنے’ کے منتر سے—خوشبو، پھول اور پھلوں کے ساتھ باقاعدہ پوجا کی جائے۔
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Vaiṣṇava iconography (cakra-śaṅkha) and epithets; no explicit Mathurā/Kṛṣṇa narrative."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Continue aṅga/āyudha-pūjā: worship throat as Śitikaṇṭha, head as Piṅgakeśa; worship cakra as ‘asura-dhvaṃsana’ and śaṅkha as Toyātman, offering gandha-puṣpa-phala.","karmic_consequence":"Proper honoring of limbs and weapons with offerings completes pūjā and accrues merit; omission diminishes completeness of worship (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Hari-pūjā with aṅga-nyāsa and āyudha-pūjā (as part of the Dvādaśī observance)","tithi_month":"Phālguna māsa, śukla pakṣa, dvādaśī (by continuity)","promised_fruit":"Implied: protection (asura-dhvaṃsana), purification (toyātman), and devotional merit through complete pūjā with offerings."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Āyudhas (cakra, śaṅkha) are not mere weapons but principles: cakra as dharma-protecting time/order that destroys adharma; śaṅkha as purifying waters/sound that sanctifies rites—integrating cosmology into daily worship.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Offerings (gandha, puṣpa, phala) mirror yajña-upacāras; cakra as ‘asura-dhvaṃsana’ = removal of obstructive forces in ritual; śaṅkha as Toyātman = consecratory water-vessel principle used in abhiṣeka/ācamanīya contexts.","vedantic_connection":"Names and implements point to functions of īśvara: niyantṛ (regulator) and pāvana (purifier). Contemplation of these functions refines the mind toward śānti and bhakti."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ritual theology (nāma–rūpa–guṇa contemplation)","core_concept":"Divine epithets encode functions: protection (cakra) and purification (śaṅkha/water); worship is contemplation enacted through offerings.","practical_application":"During pūjā, connect each upacāra to an inner meaning: offer fragrance/flowers/fruits as surrender of senses and results; invoke protective/purifying aspects when facing inner ‘asuras’ (anger, greed)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Iconography","Mantra/Formularies","Material Offerings"]
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: temple/household shrine ritual space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: continuation of the pūjā-vidhi in surrounding verses (further limb/weapon assignments and fruits)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Close-up ritual scene: devotee offers sandal paste, flowers, and fruits to Viṣṇu’s throat/head regions and to the cakra and śaṅkha placed on the altar, while reciting epithets.","item_prompts":["Viṣṇu icon with visible throat/head emphasis","cakra and śaṅkha on pedestal","gandha (sandal paste) bowl","flower garlands","fruit plate","incense/lamp","priest/devotee hand offering"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: richly ornamented Viṣṇu with prominent śaṅkha-cakra, devotee offering flowers and fruits; stylized ritual vessels and lamp.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf detailing on cakra and śaṅkha, ornate altar, bright offerings; embossed halo and arch.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant altar still-life with offerings, refined depiction of conch/discus, soft chiaroscuro from lamp.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate shrine interior, crisp depiction of offerings and implements, gentle devotional expressions."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"consecratory, protective","suggested_raga":"Kalyāṇi / Yaman (solemn-auspicious)","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"sonorous, careful articulation of epithets"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic-style ritual taxonomy: body-parts, divine epithets, and emblems (cakra, śaṅkha) are linked with short dedicatory formulas, reflecting how worship manuals integrated mantra cues with iconographic elements.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse; the content is primarily ritual and iconographic rather than a sacred-geography notice.
The verse emphasizes orderly, non-coercive ritual discipline: careful attribution of offerings and respectful, non-violent devotion expressed through fragrances, flowers, and fruits.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.