Varaha Purana 72.16: Adhyaya 72, Shloka 16
Instruction on the Unity of the Triad
Brahmā–Viṣṇu–Rudra
योऽन्यथा भावयेदेतत् पक्षपातेन सुव्रत । स याति नरकं घोरं रौरवं पापपूरुषः ॥ ७२.१६ ॥
yo 'nyathā bhāvayed etat pakṣapātena suvrata | sa yāti narakaṃ ghoraṃ rauravaṃ pāpapūruṣaḥ || 72.16 ||
اے نیک عہد والے، جو کوئی تعصب کے ساتھ اس تعلیم کو اس کے خلاف سمجھے، وہ گناہگار شخص ‘رَورَو’ نامی ہولناک دوزخ میں جاتا ہے۔
Varāha (default, per dialogue framework in absence of explicit attribution)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"cautious, concerned","key_question":"What is the moral and karmic consequence of distorting this unity-teaching through sectarian partiality?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"narakas","instruction_summary":"Do not interpret the unity of Viṣṇu–Veda–Brahman–karma with partisan bias; such distortion is adharma.","karmic_consequence":"Biased misconstrual leads to the dreadful hell Raurava."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) is protected by right understanding; sectarian ‘pakṣapāta’ is treated as a moral fault that fractures the yajña-unity of reality. The threat of Raurava functions as a dharmic guardrail preserving integrative theology.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"To split the one yajña-body into rival camps is to ‘injure’ the sacrifice; Raurava is the negative mirror of yajña-pacification—disharmony and torment as the fruit of divisive cognition.","vedantic_connection":"Hermeneutic ethics: wrong view (mithyā-bhāvanā) is not neutral; it generates pāpa by sustaining bheda born of attachment, obstructing liberation-oriented understanding."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Ethics of interpretation (hermeneutics)","core_concept":"Partisan bias in construing sacred unity is a sin with real karmic consequences.","practical_application":"Cultivate intellectual humility and non-partisanship in theology; test interpretations by their capacity to integrate rather than divide."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Hermeneutics","Dharma (conduct)","Moral consequences"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: infernal realm
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 72.72.15 (unity statement that must not be divided)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha issues a stern warning: a biased interpreter falls toward the terrifying realm of Raurava, contrasted with the calm unity-teaching behind him.","item_prompts":["Varāha with admonishing gesture","shadowy chasm leading downward labeled Raurava","tormented figures in a distant infernal scene (kept symbolic, not gratuitous)","contrast: luminous unity-symbol above vs. dark descent below"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic contrast—bright Varāha and a dark lower register depicting Raurava in stylized forms; strong outlines, controlled intensity, moral tableau composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Varāha in gold radiance; below, a subdued dark panel for Raurava with minimal figures; emphasis on warning through contrast rather than gore.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined, restrained depiction—Varāha’s stern face and hand; Raurava suggested through dark gradients and distant silhouettes; moral seriousness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative split-scene—teacher above on a terrace, below a dark ravine with faint figures; expressive but delicate linework; emphasis on consequence."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave, cautionary","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"deep, stern, emphatic on ‘narakaṃ ghoraṃ rauravam’"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic concern with interpretive integrity—warning against partisan or self-serving readings of authoritative teachings, a theme also encountered across Dharma-śāstra and narrative didactic literature.
No geographic site is named in this verse; it references 'Raurava' as a doctrinally described infernal realm rather than a terrestrial location.
The verse discourages biased or partisan interpretation (pakṣapāta) of a teaching, presenting moral accountability for distorting meaning.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.