Varaha Purana 55.19 — Adhyaya 55, Shloka 19
Observance of the Auspicious Dvādaśī Vow and the Sacred Account of the Kubjākāmra Tīrtha
दाने च भोजने चैव कृत्वा यत् फलमाप्यते । तन्न शक्यं सहस्रेण वर्षाणामपि कीर्तितुम् ॥ ५५.१९ ॥
dāne ca bhojane caiva kṛtvā yat phalam āpyate | tan na śakyaṃ sahasreṇa varṣāṇām api kīrtitum || 55.19 ||
布施と施食によって得られる果報は、たとえ千年にわたり語り続けても、尽くして述べることはできない。
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":"General Vaiṣṇava ethic of dāna/bhojana; no explicit Mathurā cue in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"The fruits of dāna and feeding are immeasurable—beyond exhaustive description—thereby urging their performance.","karmic_consequence":"Merit is portrayed as vast and compounding; failure to practice generosity implies forfeiture of immense puṇya (though no explicit punishment is stated here)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"The referenced vrata centered on dāna and bhojana (name not given in this verse)","tithi_month":"Not specified here; framed by dvādaśī context in surrounding verses.","promised_fruit":"Inexpressibly great fruit (aphala-atiśaya) from giving and feeding."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethical exhortation","core_concept":"Some karmic outcomes exceed discursive measure; dharma is trusted through śraddhā and tradition.","practical_application":"Prioritize annadāna and hospitality as regular practice, not only as occasional ritual, since their benefits are said to be beyond calculation."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Gift-giving (Dāna)","Hospitality and Feeding (Bhojana)"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: 55.55.20 (promise to state fruit briefly and narrate precedent)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A narrator-teacher (Varāha’s instructive voice) gestures toward abundant gifts and a feeding hall, emphasizing that the merit is beyond counting.","item_prompts":["teacher-figure speaking","rows of diners receiving food","heaped vessels of rice/anna","gift bundles","scroll or counting beads discarded to show ‘beyond measure’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: expansive annadāna hall, rhythmic repetition of seated figures, narrator in profile, bold colors conveying abundance.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: opulent feast scene with gold accents on vessels, central speaking figure, decorative abundance motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined annadāna tableau, gentle expressions, detailed utensils, calm grandeur.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical community meal, simplified architecture, emphasis on warmth and generosity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"laudatory and expansive","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"uplifting, emphatic on ‘na śakyaṃ’"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical emphasis on dāna (charitable giving) and bhojana (feeding/hospitality) as socially stabilizing virtues, expressed through the conventional trope that their merit is beyond exhaustive praise.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it is a general ethical statement rather than a sacred-geography reference.
The verse elevates the cultural practice of charity and feeding others, stating that the beneficial outcome (phala) of such actions is so great that it is not fully describable even across vast spans of time.
Ask anything about this verse
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