Varaha Purana 165.10 — Adhyaya 165, Shloka 10
The Glory of Mathurā: The Account of Piṇḍa-Offering at the Catuḥsāmudrika Well
परिभ्रमन्क्षुधाविष्टो मरुदेशं गतोऽपि सः ॥ तत्रैव च कृतावासो बहुकालं स वै वणिक् ॥
paribhraman kṣudhāviṣṭo marudeśaṃ gato ’pi saḥ | tatraiva ca kṛtāvāso bahukālaṃ sa vai vaṇik ||
ដោយវង្វេងវង្វាន់ទាំងត្រូវទុក្ខដោយសេចក្តីឃ្លាន គាត់បានទៅដល់ដែនវាលខ្សាច់។ នៅទីនោះ ពាណិជ្ជករនោះបានបង្កើតទីស្នាក់នៅ ហើយស្នាក់យូរអង្វែង។
Varāha (default narrative frame; speaker not explicit in this fragment)
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":"Consequences of karma in lived experience","core_concept":"Wandering and hunger externalize inner lack; when dharma is neglected, stability erodes and one is driven into ‘wilderness’ conditions—materially and spiritually.","practical_application":"Use hardship as a prompt for repentance, generosity when possible, and seeking dharmic community; cultivate contentment and right livelihood to avoid cycles of scarcity."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Travel/Trade Culture","Narrative Literature"]
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Desert/wilderness; trade-route periphery
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 165.6-9 (greed/non-giving → narrative downturn)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A hungry merchant trudging through dunes and barren land, then building a small dwelling and staying long in the desert.","item_prompts":["sand dunes/heat haze","emaciated traveler with bundle","water-skin/empty bowl","small hut or camp indicating long stay"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized ochre desert bands; the merchant in profile with weary posture; minimal background elements to emphasize austerity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: dramatic contrast—golden desert glow with textured embossing; sparse props (water-skin, bundle); solemn figure center.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: realistic shading for fatigue; expansive negative space for desert; subdued palette to convey hunger.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical desert rendered as rolling pale hills; small solitary figure; delicate sky gradient; narrative calm despite hardship."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Somber, journey-like","suggested_raga":"Marwa","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"low, weary, evocative"}
FAQs
It reflects Purāṇic narrative interest in travel, trade routes, and the vulnerabilities of itinerant life (hunger, exposure), framing ethical and karmic episodes through everyday social roles such as the vaṇik (merchant).
marudeśa (“desert region”) is a generic toponym rather than a single fixed site; it broadly evokes arid tracts known in classical Sanskrit literature (often associated with western/northwestern corridors).
The verse sets the narrative conditions—hardship and displacement—through which later moral choices and consequences will be presented.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.