Varaha Purana 172.37 — Adhyaya 172, Shloka 37
The Harm of Destroying a Grove and the Merit of Tree-Planting as Pūrta-Dharma
गोकर्ण उवाच ॥ इन्धनार्थं यदानितमग्निहोत्रं तदुच्यते ॥ छायाविश्रामपथिकैः पक्षिणां निलयेन च ॥
gokarṇa uvāca | indhanārthaṁ yadānītam agnihotraṁ tad ucyate | chāyāviśrāmapathikaiḥ pakṣiṇāṁ nilayena ca |
গোকৰ্ণ ক’লে: “যেতিয়া পবিত্ৰ অগ্নি স্থাপনাৰ উদ্দেশ্যে ইন্ধন অনা হয়, তাক অগ্নিহোত্ৰ বোলা হয়; আৰু তেনেদৰে পথিকসকলক ছাঁ আৰু বিশ্ৰাম দিয়া, আৰু পক্ষীৰ বাসস্থান হোৱাো…”
Gokarṇa
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 actions constitute agnihotra and allied meritorious service (especially through sustaining fire and offering shelter)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Bringing fuel to sustain the sacred fire and providing shade/rest to travelers and refuge to birds are counted as meritorious sacrificial-like acts.","karmic_consequence":"Such support of yajña and beings accrues puṇya and social/ecological welfare; neglect implies loss of merit and harm to dependents."}
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":"dharma-ethics","core_concept":"Yajña is not only ritual oblation; sustaining life and offering refuge participates in sacrificial order (ṛta/dharma).","practical_application":"Support household/temple fires responsibly; plant/protect shade trees; build rest-sheds; avoid harming bird habitats."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ecological stewardship"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: ethical-topical (non-site-specific)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 172.42-44 (pañcayajña of the tree elaboration)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher-sage (Gokarṇa) explains merit: devotees bring firewood to a sacred fire; nearby a large tree offers shade to weary travelers and nests to birds.","item_prompts":["sage speaking (Gokarṇa)","sacred fire altar (agni)","bundle of firewood","travelers resting in shade","birds and nests in branches","calm hermitage setting"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: warm earthy palette, stylized agni-kunda with bright flame, Gokarṇa in traditional attire teaching, large canopy tree with birds, travelers seated beneath; flat decorative foliage patterns.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central agni with gold highlights, Gokarṇa as ornate figure, gilded tree canopy, travelers and birds rendered with jewel-like detailing; rich red/green background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading; Gokarṇa gesturing toward agni and the shade tree; serene travelers; subtle birds in branches.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hillside hermitage, lyrical tree with birds, small agni altar, narrative grouping with Gokarṇa instructing; cool greens and blues with fine facial expressions."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and serene","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, explanatory, gently emphatic on key terms like agnihotra and chāyā-viśrāma"}
FAQs
It connects ritual vocabulary (agnihotra) with everyday ecological services, illustrating how Purāṇic texts moralize environmental support systems.
No geographic place-name appears; the verse refers broadly to travelers and birds.
Providing resources and shelter—fuel for rites, shade for travelers, habitat for birds—is framed as ethically meaningful support.
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