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
Daraufhin gaben alle Vornehmen dem Rezitator eine Gabe. Von einem Freund zum Geben ermuntert, bewahrte ich jedoch Schweigen und hielt mich zurück.
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.