Varaha Purana 208.37 — Adhyaya 208, Shloka 37
Narration of the Exemplum of the Pativratā
Devoted Wife
कुद्दालेन हि काष्ठेन क्षेत्रं वै कुर्महे प्रिये ॥ ततो धर्मविधिं तत्त्वात्प्राप्नुयां मे न संशयः ।
kuddālena hi kāṣṭhena kṣetraṃ vai kurmahe priye || tato dharmavidhiṃ tattvāt prāpnuyāṃ me na saṃśayaḥ
പ്രിയേ, കുദാലും മരക്കരുവുകളും പോലുള്ള ലളിത ഉപകരണങ്ങളാൽ ഞങ്ങൾ വയൽ കൃഷി ചെയ്യുന്നു. അതിലൂടെ തത്ത്വമായി ധർമ്മവിധി പ്രാപിക്കും—എനിക്ക് സംശയമില്ല.
Rājā (King) (continued speech from v.41)
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":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"Can simple, non-extractive agriculture using basic tools be a sufficient basis for attaining dharma in truth?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Earn livelihood through honest cultivation with simple implements; such self-reliant agrarian work is asserted to align with dharma when done rightly.","karmic_consequence":"Following it yields confidence in attaining dharma (merit and social order); implied opposite—dependence on coercion/luxury/excess—undermines dharmic standing."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The field-cultivation motif subtly mirrors Varāha’s cosmic ‘ploughing up’ of the Earth from chaos: dharma arises when humans cooperate with the earth through measured, tool-limited action rather than violent extraction.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Hoe/wooden implements as ‘yajña-tools’ of householders; the field as a yajña-vedi where sustenance is produced through disciplined action (karma) and restraint (niyama).","vedantic_connection":"Karma-yoga framing: right action (honest work) performed without excess supports sattva and social harmony; dharma is realized through aligned action rather than mere status."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of livelihood (ājīva-dharma)","core_concept":"Dharma can be grounded in simple, sustainable work; tools and methods matter—simplicity signals restraint and non-violence toward the earth.","practical_application":"Prefer low-impact, honest means of livelihood; reduce dependence on exploitative systems; treat land-use as a moral practice."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Agriculture","Environmental stewardship"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: kṣetra (cultivated land)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 208.41 (haviṣya discipline as context); Varāha Purāṇa 208.44-45 (queen’s challenge about existing resources)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king describes cultivating a field with only a hoe and wooden tools, presenting it as a path to dharma.","item_prompts":["simple hoe (kuddāla)","wooden plough/handle","small cultivated plot","king indicating tools","queen in the background listening"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized field scene with minimal tools, king in restrained royal attire, earthy greens and ochres, emphasis on dharmic calm.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic presentation of king holding/pointing to a hoe, gold accents on garments, field rendered symbolically with neat rows.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined agrarian vignette, soft landscape, detailed tool depiction, gentle didactic posture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside/riverine field with delicate lines, king and queen in a pavilion overlooking cultivation, emphasis on simplicity and nature."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic serenity","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, assured, grounded"}
FAQs
It connects dharma with agrarian labor and modest technology, useful for understanding how texts valorize subsistence work within ethical life.
No specific location is named; the setting is a generic ‘field’ (kṣetra).
The verse frames honest cultivation and self-sustaining labor as compatible with, and supportive of, dharma—an ethic of responsible livelihood.
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