Varaha Purana 6.23 — Adhyaya 6, Shloka 23
The Puṇḍarīkākṣapāraka Hymn and Puṣkara Tīrtha: The Account of King Vasu’s Release from Sin
तत्र त्वया अन्यकामेन मृगवेषधरो मुनिः । दण्डयुग्मेन दूरे तु पातितो धरणीतले ॥ ६.२३ ॥
tatra tvayā anyakāmena mṛgaveṣadharo muniḥ | daṇḍayugmena dūre tu pātito dharaṇītale || 6.23 ||
وهناك، إذ ساقك هوىً آخر، ضربتَ من بعيدٍ بعصوين زوجٍ مُنيًّا متنكّرًا في هيئة غزال، فسقط على وجه الأرض.
Varāha (default, per dialogue framework)
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":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"What happens when desire (anyākāma) overrides discernment, causing harm to an ascetic under disguise?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"A ruler must exercise viveka before striking; harming a muni/brāhmaṇa—even inadvertently, even in disguise—constitutes grave adharma and demands accountability.","karmic_consequence":"Careless violence driven by desire accrues heavy pāpa and precipitates fear of brahmahatyā, leading to compulsory expiation."}
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":"moral psychology","core_concept":"Kāma clouds prajñā; misperception plus haste becomes sin when it injures the innocent.","practical_application":"Pause before punitive action; verify identity and intent, especially where vulnerable or holy persons may be present."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative Literature","Ascetic Traditions"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bībhatsa
Type: wilderness encounter site
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 6.6.24 (death and mistaken joy); Varāha Purāṇa 6.6.26 (fear of brahmahatyā → prāyaścitta)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A deer-form ascetic is struck from afar by a thrown pair of staffs; the figure collapses onto the earth as the king’s party looks on.","item_prompts":["deer-bodied sage with ascetic aura","two staffs (daṇḍa-yugma) in flight","dust rising at impact","distant king/retinue","forest shadows"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized deer-sage with halo-like aura, dynamic diagonal staffs, earth-toned ground, moral tension emphasized by facial expressions.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central fallen deer-sage with ornate border, gilded highlights on weapons and royal ornaments, dramatic but iconic composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined anatomy, subtle emotion on king’s face, detailed forest flora, motion captured in staffs’ arc.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical forest, delicate linework, poignant focus on the fallen figure, muted palette to heighten tragedy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave narrative","suggested_raga":"Tōḍi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"somber, cautionary"}
FAQs
It illustrates a common Purāṇic narrative device—an ascetic or sage in disguise—and frames ethical causality around intention (kāma) and the consequences of violence or rash action in classical Sanskrit literature.
No specific toponym is given in this verse; it references only a general setting (“there”) and the ground (“dharaṇītala”), so a precise modern identification is not possible from this fragment alone.
The verse foregrounds intention-driven action (“anyakāma”) as ethically consequential, implying that actions motivated by ulterior desire can lead to harm, even against a concealed or unrecognized figure.
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