Varaha Purana 99.63 — Adhyaya 99, Shloka 63
The Greatness and Rite of the Sesame-Cow (Tiladhenu) Gift
क्षुधया पीडितो ह्यासीत् तृषया च विशेषतः ॥ अनिनायाप्सरोभागं गत्वा श्वेताख्यपर्वतम्
kṣudhayā pīḍito hyāsīt tṛṣayā ca viśeṣataḥ || anināyāpsarobhāgaṃ gatvā śvetākhyaparvatam
Er war von Hunger bedrängt und ganz besonders von Durst. Als er zum Berg namens Śveta gegangen war, brachte er dorthin den Anteil, der den Apsaras zustand.
Narrator (default framework: Varāha → Pṛthivī)
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":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"concerned; witnessing karmic repercussion as narrative example","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Śveta-parvata (mountain named Śveta)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"narakas","instruction_summary":"One who withholds food and water suffers hunger and thirst after death; deprivation mirrors deprivation caused/neglected in life.","karmic_consequence":"Experiential torment of hunger/thirst; compelled wandering to seek relief, indicating karmic scarcity despite prior wealth."}
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":"moral causality (experiential karma)","core_concept":"Karma ripens as lived experience: neglect of prāṇa-supporting gifts returns as prāṇa-distress (hunger/thirst).","practical_application":"Treat feeding and watering others as non-negotiable dharma; institutionalize water/food charity (wells, tanks, anna-kṣetra) to prevent future scarcity for self and society."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Sacred Geography"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: sacred mountain / otherworldly waypoint (narrative geography)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 99.66–99.67 (cause: withholding anna-jala); Varāha Purāṇa 99.68 (death and entry into paraloka)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tormented king in the otherworld, gaunt and parched, wanders toward the white Śveta mountain; ethereal Apsarases’ domain is hinted, contrasting his thirst with their abundance.","item_prompts":["gaunt figure with dry lips","desolate path","white mountain peak (Śveta)","mirage-like water imagery","distant celestial figures (Apsarases) or their ‘bhāga’ symbol (garland, vessel)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized white mountain, strong contour lines, the suffering figure in earthy tones, celestial realm hinted with bright ornaments and floral motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: luminous white mountain with gold highlights, the suffering figure rendered smaller, celestial abundance suggested with ornate vessels/garlands in the background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: emotive realism—parched expression, atmospheric depth toward the mountain, subtle celestial presence.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: expansive landscape with a stark white peak, solitary wanderer, delicate clouds suggesting otherworldliness, narrative contrast between scarcity and celestial plenty."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"lamenting, cautionary","suggested_raga":"Bhairavī (or Pūrvi for pathos)","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"somber, vivid, warning"}
FAQs
It reflects a didactic narrative style typical of Purāṇic literature, using embodied suffering (hunger/thirst) to set up ethical discourse.
Śvetākhyaparvata (“the mountain called Śveta”); its precise modern identification is uncertain without broader chapter context and parallel recensions.
The verse functions as narrative prelude: physical deprivation is presented as a consequence-bearing condition that frames later instruction on generosity and duty.
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