Varaha Purana 5.15 — Adhyaya 5, Shloka 15
Reconciliation of Action and Knowledge: Offering All Acts to Nārāyaṇa and the Hymn to the Yajña-Puruṣa
रैभ्य उवाच । बृहस्पते कर्मणा किं प्राप्यते ज्ञानिना । अथवा । मोक्ष एतन्ममाचक्ष्व पृच्छतः संशयं प्रभो ॥ ५.१५ ॥
raibhya uvāca | bṛhaspate karmaṇā kiṃ prāpyate jñāninā. athavā | mokṣa etan mamācakṣva pṛcchataḥ saṃśayaṃ prabho || 5.15 ||
Raibhya dijo: «Oh Bṛhaspati, ¿qué obtiene el sabio mediante la acción (karma)? O bien—háblame de la liberación (mokṣa), oh señor, pues pregunto para disipar mi duda.»
Raibhya
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"What does a jñānī gain through karma, and what is mokṣa—how is doubt about liberation resolved?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
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":"soteriology (mokṣa-vicāra)","core_concept":"Tension and reconciliation between action (karma) and liberation (mokṣa) for the knower (jñānī).","practical_application":"Frame one’s practice by asking: does this action bind or liberate, and what inner orientation resolves that?"}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Philosophy","Soteriology (Mokṣa theory)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: upadeśa-sabhā
Related Themes: VP 5.5.16 (answer: offering all actions to Nārāyaṇa prevents bondage)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Raibhya, earnest and slightly troubled, asks Bṛhaspati about the fruit of action for the wise and the nature of mokṣa, seeking removal of doubt.","item_prompts":["Raibhya with folded hands or questioning gesture","Bṛhaspati listening attentively","subtle depiction of ‘saṃśaya’ (furrowed brow)","quiet court backdrop","scrolls/veda symbols indicating vedāṅga mastery"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Raibhya in respectful posture, expressive eyes showing doubt; Bṛhaspati calm; symbolic palm-leaf manuscripts nearby.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: rich textiles; Raibhya’s supplicatory gesture; Bṛhaspati with gold halo; decorative manuscript stand.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced emotion—questioner’s doubt and teacher’s composure; balanced composition with scholarly props.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate teacher-student exchange; minimal props; emphasis on facial expression and hand gestures."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"earnest inquiry","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"serious, searching, slightly plaintive"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic pedagogical format: a named interlocutor requests clarification on the relationship between action (karma), knowledge (jñāna), and liberation (mokṣa), themes central to late-classical Sanskrit intellectual history.
No geographic location is identified in this verse; it is framed as a philosophical inquiry within a dialogue.
The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry: the ethical-philosophical priority is to seek clarity about the value of action and the nature of liberation, explicitly requesting the removal of doubt through reasoned explanation.
Ask anything about this verse
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