Varaha Purana 8.39 — Adhyaya 8, Shloka 39
Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices
Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna
मा च स्नुषा कदाचित् स्याद् या श्वश्रूं जीवतीमिषेत् । एवमुक्त्वा गतो व्याधः स्वगृहं प्रति भामिनि ॥ ८.३९ ॥
mā ca snuṣā kadācit syād yā śvaśrūṃ jīvatīm iṣet | evam uktvā gato vyādhaḥ svagṛhaṃ prati bhāmini || 8.39 ||
«ولا تكنْ قطّ كنّةٌ تتمنّى موتَ حماتها وهي لا تزال حيّة.» وبعد أن قال ذلك، يا بهاमِني (ذات العاطفة المتّقدة)، انصرف الصيّادُ إلى بيته.
Vyādha (Hunter) (narrative speech within the text)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Direct address to Bhū as ‘bhāminī’ (passionate one), positioning Earth as confidante/witness."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"stirred/concerned (bhāminī), witnessing moral injunctions about family hostility","key_question":"What boundaries must be upheld in gṛhastha life to prevent covert violence (wishing death) within kinship?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"A daughter-in-law must not harbor death-wishes toward her living mother-in-law; inner intent (abhisaṃdhi) itself is adharma and corrodes household order.","karmic_consequence":"Malicious intent generates pāpa and future suffering; goodwill and service toward elders yields harmony, reputation, and merit."}
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":"ethics of intention (saṅkalpa)","core_concept":"Adharma begins in the mind: wishing harm is itself a karmic seed even before action.","practical_application":"Cultivate kṣamā (forbearance) and sevā toward elders; address conflicts through counsel rather than resentment."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Household Dharma","Social Conduct"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: domestic-to-road transition
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 8.8.38 (mistrust curse); Varāha Purāṇa 8.8.40 (restoration via worship and succession)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The hunter pronounces a final moral warning about daughters-in-law not desiring a living mother-in-law’s death, then turns and walks away toward his home as Earth is addressed as witness.","item_prompts":["hunter walking away (back/three-quarter view)","gesture of final admonition","two women figures (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law) shown in contrast (tension vs reconciliation)","path leading to a modest house","earth/Prithvi motif subtly present"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: departing figure with rhythmic stride; women in profile separated by patterned space; earth-toned ground with lotus border; calm closure mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: departing figure framed by gold arch; household doorway with gold highlights; women rendered richly; moral text implied through gesture.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: soft, narrative realism; emphasis on the turning-away movement and reflective faces of the women.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: winding path to home; delicate architecture; women near doorway; subdued palette conveying moral aftertaste."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"sobering, advisory","suggested_raga":"Kafi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"calm but cautionary"}
FAQs
It reflects a didactic strand common in Purāṇic literature where narrative speakers articulate social and household norms, offering a window into idealized ethical expectations in premodern Sanskrit textual culture.
No geographic location is mentioned in this verse; the focus is on interpersonal ethics within the household.
The verse articulates a clear moral prohibition against harboring harmful intent toward elders in the family—specifically, condemning a daughter-in-law’s wish for her living mother-in-law’s death.
Ask anything about this verse
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.