Varaha Purana 55.17: Adhyaya 55, Shloka 17
Observance of the Auspicious Dvādaśī Vow and the Sacred Account of the Kubjākāmra Tīrtha
रौप्यां वा पृथिवीं कृत्वा यथाविभवशक्तितः । दापयेद् ब्राह्मणानां तु तथा तेषां च भोजनम् । उपानहौ यथाशक्त्या पादुके छत्रिकां तथा ॥ ५५.१७ ॥
raupyāṃ vā pṛthivīṃ kṛtvā yathāvibhavaśaktitaḥ | dāpayet brāhmaṇānāṃ tu tathā teṣāṃ ca bhojanam | upānahau yathāśaktyā pāduke chātrikāṃ tathā || 55.17 ||
بعد أن يُصاغ تمثالٌ رمزيٌّ «للأرض» من الفضة على قدر اليسار والاستطاعة، ينبغي أن تُعطى الصدقات للبراهمة، وأن يُقدَّم لهم الطعام كذلك؛ وعلى قدر الطاقة تُعطى الأحذية—النعال—وكذلك مظلّة.
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; explicit speaker not provided in the excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Indirect: the dāna is framed within Vaiṣṇava dharma; later verses explicitly invoke Kṛṣṇa/Dāmodara."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Make a silver earth-replica according to means, give gifts to brāhmaṇas, feed them, and donate footwear and a parasol as capacity allows.","karmic_consequence":"Such comprehensive dāna (dravya + bhojana + upakaraṇa) is portrayed as highly meritorious; stinginess or omission reduces the rite’s completeness."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Bhū-dāna / Pṛthivī-pratimā-dāna (as an aṅga of the vrata)","tithi_month":"Not specified here; contextually tied to the dvādaśī performance described adjacent.","promised_fruit":"Acquisition of great puṇya through symbolic gifting of the earth and support of brāhmaṇas (learning/ritual continuity)."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The ‘earth in silver’ functions as a ritual microcosm: offering a pratimā of Bhū symbolizes relinquishing possessiveness over land/resources—aligning the donor with the cosmic order Varāha restored.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: Bhū as the supported world; the donor ritually ‘re-enacts’ cosmic support through dāna (no explicit tusk/limb mappings in this verse).","vedantic_connection":"Iśāvāsya-like ethic: resources are held in trust; renunciation-through-giving loosens ahaṅkāra/mamatā over ‘my land’ and ‘my wealth’."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of stewardship","core_concept":"Wealth is purified by redistribution that sustains dharma (brāhmaṇa support, feeding, practical necessities).","practical_application":"Give proportionate to capacity (yathā-śakti), include both symbolic gifts (pratimā) and practical aid (food, footwear, shelter-signs like parasol)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Economy (Dāna)","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: dāna-śraddhā
Related Themes: 55.55.16 (timing and go-dāna); 55.55.18 (mantra after giving)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A donor presents a silver model of the earth to brāhmaṇas, followed by a feast; sandals and a parasol are arranged as additional gifts.","item_prompts":["silver earth model (pṛthivī-pratimā)","brāhmaṇas seated for bhojana","leaf plates or vessels","sandals/footwear","parasol (chatra)","gift bundles"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: silver globe/earth-plate gleaming, brāhmaṇas in orderly rows for bhojana, donor offering sandals and chatra, rich reds/ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: silver earth rendered with metallic sheen, gold-leaf accents on vessels and parasol, symmetrical composition with seated brāhmaṇas.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: elegant banquet scene, detailed textiles, subtle highlights on silver pratimā, calm devotional charity mood.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hillside-court ambience, intimate gifting moment, delicate parasol, simple sandals, soft pastel background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and benevolent","suggested_raga":"Śrī","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"warm, instructive, measured"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic articulation of dāna (gift-giving) and hospitality, linking material offerings (silver representation of the earth, footwear, parasol) with social-ritual support (feeding), which parallels broader South Asian traditions of merit-making and patronage.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the reference is symbolic/material—an earth (pṛthivī) representation—rather than a locative pilgrimage marker.
To practice generosity and care through proportionate giving—according to one’s means—by arranging gifts and providing sustenance and practical items to recipients (here, Brahmins), emphasizing capacity-based ethical duty rather than excess.
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