Varaha Purana 112.23 — Adhyaya 112, Shloka 23
Praise and Procedure of Donating the Two-Faced Kapilā Cow and the Golden Pot
Hema-kumbha
भूयोभूयो जायमानस्तथोत्तारं न विन्दति ॥ ब्राह्मणश्चैव यो विद्वान्कुर्यात्तेषां प्रतिग्रहम् ॥
bhūyobhūyo jāyamānas tathottāraṃ na vindati || brāhmaṇaś caiva yo vidvān kuryāt teṣāṃ pratigraham ||
तो वारंवार जन्म घेतो तरी त्याला उद्धार मिळत नाही; आणि अशा लोकांकडून दान-प्रतिग्रह करणारा विद्वान ब्राह्मणही निंद्य ठरतो।
Varāha (default speaker within Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
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":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Illicit/impure donors cause the recipient to lose spiritual progress; even a learned brāhmaṇa incurs blame by accepting gifts from such persons.","karmic_consequence":"Recipient falls into repeated rebirth without deliverance; social and ritual censure accrues to the accepting brāhmaṇa."}
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":"karma-ethics (dāna-śuddhi)","core_concept":"Merit depends on purity of source and recipient; wrong acceptance binds one to saṃsāra.","practical_application":"Examine the donor’s conduct/means before accepting; refuse gifts that compromise ritual and moral integrity."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Dāna (Gift ethics)","Karma and Rebirth"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bībhatsa
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 112.25–28 (consequences, avoidance, prāyaścitta, and proper dāna)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as dharma-instructor pronounces a warning about accepting gifts from unfit donors, with the shadow of repeated rebirth implied.","item_prompts":["Varāha teaching posture","gesture of refusal (abhaya/niṣedha mudrā)","a brāhmaṇa holding a gift and hesitating","symbolic wheel of saṃsāra in background","scripture palm-leaf or manuscript"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha with calm authoritative expression instructing a brāhmaṇa who lowers a gift-bowl; muted earth tones, clear linework, minimal background with saṃsāra-wheel motif.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha teacher with ornate crown and halo; gold-leaf emphasis on dharma symbols (śāstra, lotus); brāhmaṇa recipient shown turning away from a gift; rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined Varāha discourse scene with delicate shading; brāhmaṇa and donor figures secondary; subtle symbolic rebirth cycle behind.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate teaching scene in a simple pavilion; Varāha instructs, brāhmaṇa recoils from a gift; soft hills and a faint saṃsāra-wheel cloud motif."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm, didactic, restrained"}
FAQs
It documents a classical concern in Sanskrit normative literature: the moral status of gifts depends on the donor, shaping social and ritual boundaries.
No geographic location is mentioned; the focus is ethical and social.
The verse warns that repeated rebirth and lack of ‘deliverance’ are linked to wrongdoing, and it criticizes improper acceptance of gifts even by the learned.
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