Varaha Purana 8.39: Adhyaya 8, Shloka 39
Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices
Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna
Pūrva Bhāga · Dharma-śāstra Narrative (Household Ethics)
मा च स्नुषा कदाचित् स्याद् या श्वश्रूं जीवतीमिषेत् । एवमुक्त्वा गतो व्याधः स्वगृहं प्रति भामिनि ॥ ८.३९ ॥
mā ca snuṣā kadācit syād yā śvaśrūṃ jīvatīm iṣet | evam uktvā gato vyādhaḥ svagṛhaṃ prati bhāmini || 8.39 ||
mA cha snuShA kadAchit syAd yA shvashrUM jIvatImiShet | evamuktvA gato vyAdhaH svagRRihaM prati bhAmini || 8.39 ||
ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿರುವ ಅತ್ತೆ ಸಾಯಲಿ ಎಂದು ಬಯಸುವ ಸೊಸೆ ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಇರಬಾರದು. ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳಿ, ಹೇ ಭಾಮಿನಿ, ಆ ವ್ಯಾಧನು ತನ್ನ ಮನೆ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಹೊರಟನು.
Sandhi Notes
- स्वगृहं → स्व + गृहम्
- कदाचित् is indeclinable
Vyādha (Hunter) (narrative speech within the text)
Stirred/concerned (bhāminī), witnessing moral injunctions about family hostility
What boundaries must be upheld in gṛhastha life to prevent covert violence (wishing death) within kinship?
Adharma begins in the mind: wishing harm is itself a karmic seed even before action.
Cultivate kṣamā (forbearance) and sevā toward elders; address conflicts through counsel rather than resentment.
Direct address to Bhū as ‘bhāminī’ (passionate one), positioning Earth as confidante/witness.
A daughter-in-law must not harbor death-wishes toward her living mother-in-law; inner intent (abhisaṃdhi) itself is adharma and corrodes household order.
Malicious intent generates pāpa and future suffering; goodwill and service toward elders yields harmony, reputation, and merit.
Varāha Purāṇa 8.8.38 (mistrust curse); Varāha Purāṇa 8.8.40 (restoration via worship and succession)
FAQs
It reflects a didactic strand common in Purāṇic literature where narrative speakers articulate social and household norms, offering a window into idealized ethical expectations in premodern Sanskrit textual culture.
No geographic location is mentioned in this verse; the focus is on interpersonal ethics within the household.
The verse articulates a clear moral prohibition against harboring harmful intent toward elders in the family—specifically, condemning a daughter-in-law’s wish for her living mother-in-law’s death.
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