Varaha Purana 55.17: Adhyaya 55, Shloka 17
Observance of the Auspicious Dvādaśī Vow and the Sacred Account of the Kubjākāmra Tīrtha
रौप्यां वा पृथिवीं कृत्वा यथाविभवशक्तितः । दापयेद् ब्राह्मणानां तु तथा तेषां च भोजनम् । उपानहौ यथाशक्त्या पादुके छत्रिकां तथा ॥ ५५.१७ ॥
raupyāṃ vā pṛthivīṃ kṛtvā yathāvibhavaśaktitaḥ | dāpayet brāhmaṇānāṃ tu tathā teṣāṃ ca bhojanam | upānahau yathāśaktyā pāduke chātrikāṃ tathā || 55.17 ||
സ്വന്തം ശേഷിയനുസരിച്ച് വെള്ളിയിൽ ഭൂമിയുടെ (പ്രതിമ) രൂപം നിർമ്മിച്ച് ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കു ദാനം നൽകിക്കയും, അവർക്കു ഭോജനവും ഒരുക്കിക്കയും വേണം. കൂടാതെ കഴിയുന്നത്ര പാദുക/ചെരിപ്പ്, കുട (ഛത്രിക) എന്നിവയും ദാനം ചെയ്യണം.
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; explicit speaker not provided in the excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"krishna_connection":"Indirect: the dāna is framed within Vaiṣṇava dharma; later verses explicitly invoke Kṛṣṇa/Dāmodara."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Make a silver earth-replica according to means, give gifts to brāhmaṇas, feed them, and donate footwear and a parasol as capacity allows.","karmic_consequence":"Such comprehensive dāna (dravya + bhojana + upakaraṇa) is portrayed as highly meritorious; stinginess or omission reduces the rite’s completeness."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Bhū-dāna / Pṛthivī-pratimā-dāna (as an aṅga of the vrata)","tithi_month":"Not specified here; contextually tied to the dvādaśī performance described adjacent.","promised_fruit":"Acquisition of great puṇya through symbolic gifting of the earth and support of brāhmaṇas (learning/ritual continuity)."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The ‘earth in silver’ functions as a ritual microcosm: offering a pratimā of Bhū symbolizes relinquishing possessiveness over land/resources—aligning the donor with the cosmic order Varāha restored.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: Bhū as the supported world; the donor ritually ‘re-enacts’ cosmic support through dāna (no explicit tusk/limb mappings in this verse).","vedantic_connection":"Iśāvāsya-like ethic: resources are held in trust; renunciation-through-giving loosens ahaṅkāra/mamatā over ‘my land’ and ‘my wealth’."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of stewardship","core_concept":"Wealth is purified by redistribution that sustains dharma (brāhmaṇa support, feeding, practical necessities).","practical_application":"Give proportionate to capacity (yathā-śakti), include both symbolic gifts (pratimā) and practical aid (food, footwear, shelter-signs like parasol)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Economy (Dāna)","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: dāna-śraddhā
Related Themes: 55.55.16 (timing and go-dāna); 55.55.18 (mantra after giving)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A donor presents a silver model of the earth to brāhmaṇas, followed by a feast; sandals and a parasol are arranged as additional gifts.","item_prompts":["silver earth model (pṛthivī-pratimā)","brāhmaṇas seated for bhojana","leaf plates or vessels","sandals/footwear","parasol (chatra)","gift bundles"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: silver globe/earth-plate gleaming, brāhmaṇas in orderly rows for bhojana, donor offering sandals and chatra, rich reds/ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: silver earth rendered with metallic sheen, gold-leaf accents on vessels and parasol, symmetrical composition with seated brāhmaṇas.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: elegant banquet scene, detailed textiles, subtle highlights on silver pratimā, calm devotional charity mood.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hillside-court ambience, intimate gifting moment, delicate parasol, simple sandals, soft pastel background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and benevolent","suggested_raga":"Śrī","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"warm, instructive, measured"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic articulation of dāna (gift-giving) and hospitality, linking material offerings (silver representation of the earth, footwear, parasol) with social-ritual support (feeding), which parallels broader South Asian traditions of merit-making and patronage.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the reference is symbolic/material—an earth (pṛthivī) representation—rather than a locative pilgrimage marker.
To practice generosity and care through proportionate giving—according to one’s means—by arranging gifts and providing sustenance and practical items to recipients (here, Brahmins), emphasizing capacity-based ethical duty rather than excess.
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