Varaha Purana 60.7 — Adhyaya 60, Shloka 7
The Rite of the Śāntivrata: A Yearlong Observance with Viṣṇu-on-Śeṣa and Nāga-Anganyāsa Worship
एवं संवत्सरस्यान्ते कुर्याद् ब्राह्मणभोजनम् । नागं तु काञ्चनं कुर्याद् ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् ॥ ६०.७ ॥
evaṁ saṁvatsarasyānte kuryād brāhmaṇabhojanam | nāgaṁ tu kāñcanaṁ kuryād brāhmaṇāya nivedayet || 60.7 ||
So soll man am Ende des Jahres ein Mahl für die Brāhmaṇas ausrichten; und man soll eine goldene Schlange anfertigen lassen und sie einem Brāhmaṇa darbringen.
Varāha (default, instructor voice in Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
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":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"At the completion of a year-long observance, feed brāhmaṇas and donate a crafted golden serpent (nāga) to a brāhmaṇa as prescribed dāna.","karmic_consequence":"Merit accrues through annadāna and symbolic nāga-dāna; omission weakens the vrata’s completion (pāraṇa) and its protective/peace-giving fruit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Nāga-dāna-saṃyukta saṃvatsara-vrata (year-end completion rite)","tithi_month":"At the end of the year of observance (saṃvatsarānte)","promised_fruit":"Completion of the vow with full merit; propitiation of nāgas and removal of serpent-related afflictions (implied by the rite)."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-yoga / dharma","core_concept":"Vrata is consummated by self-transcending giving—food and wealth offered to worthy recipients purify the doer and stabilize merit.","practical_application":"Mark the end of a yearly discipline with annadāna and a deliberate, non-harmful act of nāga-propitiation via symbolic donation."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Practice","Gift-giving (Dāna)","Social Conduct"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: śraddhā-bhakti
Type: Ritual/household setting
Related Themes: 60.60.8 (stated fruit: peace and freedom from nāga-bhaya); 61.61.3 (pāraṇa discipline parallels: careful completion)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A year-end rite: a devotee hosts seated brāhmaṇas for a formal meal while presenting a small golden serpent icon as dāna.","item_prompts":["brāhmaṇas seated in a row (pāṅkti)","leaf-plates or bowls with food","donor with folded hands","small golden nāga figure on a cloth","water-pot (kalaśa) and incense","ritual cleanliness cues (white garments)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: warm earthy palette, stylized brāhmaṇas in white, donor offering a gleaming golden nāga idol, temple-courtyard ambience, flat decorative detailing.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central donor presenting gold-leaf nāga icon, richly ornamented brāhmaṇa figures, heavy gold highlights on the serpent and vessels, symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading, serene brāhmaṇa-bhojana scene, subtle gold accents on nāga-dāna, calm domestic/maṭha setting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate courtyard feast, bright textiles, gentle hills/trees in background, donor offering a small golden serpent to a seated brāhmaṇa, lyrical restraint."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"injunctive, composed","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, didactic, steady"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic-dharmaśāstra pattern where annual calendrical completion is marked by hospitality (feeding learned specialists) and symbolic gifting, documenting socio-ritual economies in premodern Sanskrit culture.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it is framed as a general end-of-year observance rather than a site-specific instruction.
To conclude an annual cycle with acts of hospitality and charitable gifting—specifically feeding brāhmaṇas and presenting a crafted gold offering—emphasizing generosity and social responsibility.
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