Shloka 2

Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices

Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna

Devanagari script

एकैकं स्वकुटुम्बार्थे हत्वा वनचरं मृगम् । भृत्यातिथिहुताशानां प्रीणनं कुरुते सदा ॥ ८.२ ॥

Transliteration

ekaikaṁ svakuṭumbārthe hatvā vanacaraṁ mṛgam | bhṛtyātithihutāśānāṁ prīṇanaṁ kurute sadā || 8.2 ||

Translation

Nachdem er zum Wohl seines eigenen Haushalts nur ein einziges im Wald lebendes Tier getötet hat, sorgt er stets dafür, Abhängige, Gäste und das Opferfeuer gebührend zu erfreuen und zu versorgen.

Word by Word

• एक-एकम्: one each / one by one
• एक-एकम्: Karma (कर्म—परिमाण/वितरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular used adverbially (‘one by one/each single’); dvandva-like repetition (इतरेतर/पुनरुक्ति-समास)

• स्व-कुटुम्ब-अर्थे: for his family’s sake
• स्व-कुटुम्ब-अर्थे: Prayojana/Adhikarana (प्रयोजन/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कुटुम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘for the sake of (his) own family’ (अर्थे = ‘for the purpose of’)

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Kriya (क्रिया—पूर्वकालनिर्देश)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), ‘having killed’

• वन-चरम्: forest-dwelling
• वन-चरम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘forest-roaming’ qualifying mṛgam

• मृगम्: deer/animal
• मृगम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भृत्य-अतिथि-हुताशानाम्: of servants, guests, and the sacred fire
• भृत्य-अतिथि-हुताशानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक) + हुताश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Plural; dvandva list: ‘servants, guests, and the fire (Agni)’

• प्रीणनम्: satisfaction/pleasing (act)
• प्रीणनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीणन (प्रातिपदिक; from √प्री (धातु) with action-noun)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

Speaker

Varāha (default, primary instructor in Varāha Purāṇa dialogue frame)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, weighing ethics of livelihood and harm","key_question":"What is the permissible boundary of हिंसा (harm) for a householder’s sustenance, and how is it ethically redeemed through duties like hospitality and agnihotra?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"For household maintenance, one may take only minimal life (a single forest animal) and must continually satisfy dependents, guests, and the sacred fire (atithi-sevā and agni-kārya).","karmic_consequence":"Restraint + fulfillment of atithi/agni duties mitigates livelihood-violence; excess killing or neglect of guests/fire implies demerit and social/ritual downfall."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of necessity (minimal harm)","core_concept":"When survival requires harm, dharma demands minimization, intentionality, and compensatory duties (care of dependents, guests, and yajña-fire).","practical_application":"Adopt ‘minimum necessary consumption’; prioritize feeding dependents/guests first; maintain daily agni/ritual remembrance; avoid surplus exploitation."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Householder Duties","Ritual Culture"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: dharmic (niyama)

Geographic Context

Type: ethical-social setting

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 8.8.4 (explicit ahiṃsā ideal alongside agni and satya)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A restrained hunter-householder kills only one animal for family need, then performs hospitality and tends the sacrificial fire, offering portions and feeding dependents/guests.","item_prompts":["single deer/boar-like forest animal (one only)","hunter with controlled posture (no frenzy)","household hearth with sacred fire","guest seated receiving food/water","dependents (family/servants) being served","ladle (sruk) and offering bowl"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized agni with bright vermilion; figures in profile; emphasis on ritual implements; calm, ethical restraint in faces.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted agni-kunda and haloed sacred fire; rich textiles for guests; minimal depiction of the slain animal (symbolic, not gory).","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined domestic interior with fire altar; soft shading; narrative clarity—one animal, then service to guests.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: cozy courtyard scene; forest edge in background; gentle colors; emphasis on hospitality gestures (water-pot, leaf-plates)."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"normative-instructional","suggested_raga":"Madhyamāvati","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"calm, admonitory, precise"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Ethics
• Dharma Literature
• Social History (Hospitality)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a normative household economy and social ethic in Purāṇic literature: resources (including food procurement) are framed as serving dependents, guests, and ritual obligations, offering evidence for ideals of hospitality and domestic responsibility.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it uses a general setting of the forest (vana) as a descriptive context.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To direct one’s household sustenance and actions toward responsible provision—supporting dependents, honoring guests, and maintaining ritual obligations (symbolized by the sacrificial fire).