Varaha Purana 165.2 — Adhyaya 165, Shloka 2
The Glory of Mathurā: The Account of Piṇḍa-Offering at the Catuḥsāmudrika Well
सुशीलो नाम वैश्यस्तु तस्मिन्वसति पत्तने ॥ धनधान्यसमृद्धस्तु बहुपुत्रः कुटुम्बवान् ॥
suśīlo nāma vaiśyas tu tasmin vasati pattane || dhanadhānyasamṛddhas tu bahuputraḥ kuṭumbavān ||
Dans cette cité vivait un vaiśya, un marchand nommé Suśīla, riche en biens et en grains, père de nombreux fils et pourvu d’une maisonnée.
Varāha (narrating)
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":"None","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":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":"ethical exemplum (artha vs dharma)","core_concept":"Material abundance (dhana-dhānya, putra, kuṭumba) is not itself dharma; it becomes meaningful only when aligned with religious duty and generosity.","practical_application":"Use prosperity to support dharma—daily worship, charity, and support of learned persons—rather than treating wealth as self-justifying."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Social History"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: None
Type: city (paṭṭana)
Related Themes: The narrative will contrast Suśīla’s artha-centered life with neglected nitya-karma in following verses
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A bustling mercantile city scene: Suśīla the merchant in his prosperous home, granaries full, surrounded by sons and household activity.","item_prompts":["merchant (vaiśya) with ledger/weights","bags of grain and coins","busy marketplace backdrop","large household with children/sons","city gates/paṭṭana architecture"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized merchant with ornate but worldly attire; granary and market motifs; rhythmic composition showing abundance and domestic bustle.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Suśīla seated with wealth symbols (coins, grain) rendered with gold accents; attendants/sons; architectural arch framing the household.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined interior scene—merchant with account book, calm but self-satisfied expression; detailed textiles and vessels; subdued richness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative vignette—merchant family in a courtyard, soft colors; market hinted in background; emphasis on storybook clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative, descriptive","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"even, story-telling"}
FAQs
It reflects Purāṇic social description—linking prosperity, household structure, and later moral evaluation—useful for studying normative ideals and critiques of wealth in Sanskrit narrative.
The setting continues to be the city at Pratiṣṭhāna (from the preceding verse).
The verse sets up an ethical contrast: material prosperity and family status do not automatically imply dharmic conduct, preparing for a moral assessment in subsequent verses.
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