Varaha Purana 144.136 — Adhyaya 144, Shloka 136
The Māhātmya of Someśvara and Related Liṅgas: The Liberation-Field of Triveṇī and the Śālagrāma Sacred Landscape
न ददासि गृहीत्वा यत्तस्माद्ग्राहत्वमाप्नुहि ॥ विजयोऽप्यब्रवीन्नूनमन्धीभूतोऽति किं धनैः ॥
na dadāsi gṛhītvā yat tasmād grāhatvam āpnuhi || vijayo 'py abravīn nūnam andhī-bhūto 'ti kiṃ dhanaiḥ ||
«Du gibst nicht zurück, was du genommen hast; darum erlange den Zustand des Ergriffenwerdens — werde ein “Nehmer”, gebunden durch Anhaften.» Selbst Vijaya sprach: «Wahrlich, wozu taugt Reichtum, wenn man allzu sehr verblendet wird?»
Varāha (default; second hemistich reports Vijaya’s speech)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"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":"How does hoarding/withholding what one has taken bind a person, and what is the true value of wealth when it blinds discernment?"}
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/householder must not seize others’ goods and then refuse rightful giving/return; greed that withholds what is taken becomes self-binding grasping.","karmic_consequence":"Withholding after taking leads to bondage through possessiveness and moral/mental blindness; generosity and restraint preserve clarity and rightful victory."}
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 desire (lobha) and non-attachment","core_concept":"Possessiveness (grahaṇa/grāhatva) is a self-imposed captivity; wealth without discernment is purposeless.","practical_application":"Practice non-hoarding, timely giving (dāna), and reflective checks on desire—especially for those in power handling others’ resources."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship","Philosophy of desire"]
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Karuna
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 144.144.15 (royal inquiry follows moral/cosmic decline)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as divine instructor delivering a sharp ethical rebuke; beside him, the figure of Vijaya reflects aloud on the futility of wealth that blinds.","item_prompts":["Varāha seated as teacher (no explicit boar traits required)","gesture of admonition (raised hand)","Vijaya with contemplative/repentant expression","symbolic heap of coins fading into darkness (blindness motif)","royal court setting (pillar, throne edge)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: warm ochres and greens; Varāha as dignified divine guru with subtle aura; Vijaya in court attire, eyes lowered; symbolic coins rendered as muted gold turning to shadow.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha with prabhāmaṇḍala in gold leaf; court ornaments; coins as embossed gold but partially veiled to suggest delusion; Vijaya in rich textiles.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting: delicate linework; restrained palette; Varāha teaching posture; Vijaya thoughtful; minimal props—scroll, water pot, small coin tray.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature: intimate court veranda; Varāha as sage-like deity; Vijaya seated slightly apart; stylized landscape; coins depicted small, secondary to facial emotion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Didactic, reflective, mildly admonitory","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, clear enunciation with a contemplative cadence on the second hemistich (Vijaya’s reflection)"}
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic ethical theme: social stability depends on dāna (giving) and restraint, while unchecked acquisition is portrayed as socially and psychologically corrosive.
No geographic location is specified in this verse; the focus is ethical and rhetorical.
To counter ‘grasping’ with generosity and clarity: wealth is depicted as harmful when it produces moral blindness and attachment.
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