Varaha Purana 5.20 — Adhyaya 5, Shloka 20
Reconciliation of Action and Knowledge: Offering All Acts to Nārāyaṇa and the Hymn to the Yajña-Puruṣa
ततः संयमनो विप्रो दृष्ट्वा तं मृगयारतम् । वारयामास मा भद्र जीवघातमिमं कुरु ॥ ५.२० ॥
tataḥ saṁyamano vipro dṛṣṭvā taṁ mṛgayā-ratam | vārayāmāsa mā bhadra jīvaghātam imaṁ kuru || 5.20 ||
അപ്പോൾ ബ്രാഹ്മണനായ സംയമനൻ അവനെ വേട്ടയിൽ ആസക്തനായി കണ്ടു തടഞ്ഞു പറഞ്ഞു—“ഭദ്രാ! ജീവഹത്യയായ ഈ പ്രവൃത്തി ചെയ്യരുത്.”
Varāha (default narrative frame; speaker not explicit in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"How should one respond to impending violence against living beings (jīvaghāta)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Ahiṃsā is asserted in direct speech: ‘Do not commit jīvaghāta’—a practical dharma injunction, including the duty to restrain another from harm.","karmic_consequence":"Following: puṇya, compassion, and protection of life; breaking: pāpa from killing and from ignoring preventable harm (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics (dayā/ahiṃsā)","core_concept":"Dharma is not only personal restraint but also compassionate prevention of others’ wrongdoing when possible.","practical_application":"When witnessing harm, speak firmly yet respectfully; prioritize protection of life and de-escalation."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ecological Narratives"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇā
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: forest/tīrtha vicinity
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: ethical exempla where speech (vāṇī) becomes the instrument of dharma
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Saṃyamana the brāhmaṇa steps between hunter and prey, raising a restraining hand, speaking a compassionate prohibition against killing.","item_prompts":["brāhmaṇa with raised palm (abhaya/stop gesture)","hunter halted mid-draw","deer in background","forest clearing","speech scroll or subtle sound-lines indicating admonition"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: brāhmaṇa in calm authority, hunter frozen in motion, deer stylized; emphasis on gesture and moral contrast.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central brāhmaṇa with gold halo-like emphasis on dharmic authority; hunter and deer as flanking narrative elements.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined expressions—compassionate brāhmaṇa, conflicted hunter; balanced composition with clear hand gesture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative clarity—brāhmaṇa confronting hunter; deer peeking from behind trees; delicate lines and muted tones."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory yet compassionate","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, protective, ethically charged"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical motif: a learned figure intervenes to discourage violence, illustrating how dharma discourse is embedded in narrative episodes.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse fragment; it is an ethical encounter scene rather than a sacred-geography marker.
To refrain from harming living beings—an explicit discouragement of hunting framed as jīvaghāta (killing of life).
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