Varaha Purana 39.17: Adhyaya 39, Shloka 17
Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance
सत्यतपा उवाच । भगवन् बहुवित्तेन ऋत्विग्भिर्वेदपारगैः । प्राप्यते पुण्यकृद्भिर्हि क्वचिद्यज्ञः कथञ्चन । तेन प्राप्तेन भगवान् लभ्यते दुःखतो हरिः ॥ ३९.१७ ॥
satyatapā uvāca | bhagavan bahuvittena ṛtvigbhir vedapāragaiḥ | prāpyate puṇyakṛdbhir hi kvacid yajñaḥ kathañcana | tenā prāptena bhagavān labhyate duḥkhato hariḥ || 39.17 ||
Satyatapā sprach: „O Bhagavān, ein yajña ist für die Verdiensterwerbenden nur bisweilen und irgendwie möglich — durch großen Reichtum und durch Opferpriester (ṛtvij), die die Veden gemeistert haben. Wird durch das so Erlangte der Herr Hari, der das Leid nimmt, wahrhaft erreicht?“
Satyatapā
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic-era concern with the practical prerequisites of Vedic sacrifice—wealth and learned officiants—and raises a critical question about whether ritual procurement equates to attaining Hari, indicating evolving discourse on ritual versus broader forms of devotion and ethics.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is on ritual conditions (wealth, ṛtvij, Veda mastery) rather than sacred topography.
The verse frames an ethical-philosophical inquiry: if access to yajña depends on wealth and specialized expertise, how is spiritual attainment (realization of Hari as remover of suffering) to be understood—prompting reflection on equity, merit, and the limits of ritual means.
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