Varaha Purana 165.40 — Adhyaya 165, Shloka 40
The Glory of Mathurā: The Account of Piṇḍa-Offering at the Catuḥsāmudrika Well
वाचकाय ततो दानं दत्तं सर्वैर्महाजनैः ॥ मित्रेण प्रेरितो दाने मया मौनं समाश्रितम्
vācakāya tato dānaṃ dattaṃ sarvair mahājanaiḥ || mitreṇa prerito dāne mayā maunaṃ samāśritam
তখন সকল গণ্যমান্য ব্যক্তি পাঠককে দান দিলেন। বন্ধু দানে প্রেরণা দিলেও আমি নীরবই রইলাম (দান থেকে বিরত থাকলাম)।
Unspecified narrator (within the dialogue frame; default: Varāha as instructor recounting a case narrative)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Temple/tīrtha assembly where a vācaka (reciter) is honored (site not named)","parikrama_context":"Occurs within a pilgrimage gathering; no explicit parikramā.","krishna_connection":"None explicit."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"In a sacred assembly, giving dāna—especially honoring the vācaka/reciter—is normative; withholding out of miserliness is a dharmic lapse (implied by the narrative contrast).","karmic_consequence":"Giving supports dharma and accrues puṇya; refusing/remaining silent when urged toward rightful dāna risks pāpa/puṇya-hāni and social censure (implied)."}
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-psychology","core_concept":"Inner reluctance (mātsarya/saṅkoca) can obstruct dharmic action even amid a meritorious setting; dharma requires timely generosity.","practical_application":"When prompted toward appropriate giving in sacred contexts, examine motives, overcome miserliness, and support teachers/reciters and communal religious functions."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Economy","Social Conduct"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bībhatsa
Type: ritual-social space (temple assembly)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa exemplum-style passages where a character’s omission in dāna leads to later consequence (likely continuation beyond excerpt)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a temple assembly, prominent people offer gifts to the reciter; the narrator, urged by a friend, stays silent and does not give.","item_prompts":["reciter seated on a vyāsāsana","donors presenting coins/cloth","friend leaning toward narrator urging","narrator with hesitant posture","temple hall with pillars"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: sabhā scene with vācaka on seat, donors offering, one figure withdrawn in silence, expressive hand-gestures, earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: reciter with gold aura and ornate seat, donors with gold-highlighted gifts, contrast figure with lowered gaze, rich temple décor.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: courtly temple-hall realism, nuanced expressions of generosity vs hesitation, detailed textiles.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative contrast—group giving in bright cluster, solitary hesitant figure slightly apart, soft architectural framing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic with moral tension","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, slightly admonitory on ‘maunam samāśritam’"}
FAQs
It reflects the social institution of public recitation and communal patronage, where donations to a vācaka were a recognized cultural practice in Purāṇic settings.
No explicit location appears in this verse; the broader passage later points toward Mathurā as a key place-name.
The verse frames a moral contrast between communal generosity and an individual’s reluctance, preparing the narrative for consequences tied to withholding support.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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.