Varaha Purana 116.23: Adhyaya 116, Shloka 23
An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering
Uttara Bhāga · Dharma–Karma-vipāka (Ethical Consequences and Social Observation)
सर्वभूताहितं पापं यत्त्वया परिपृच्छितम् ॥ यच्च मां पृच्छते भद्रे शुभं कीदृशमुच्यते
sarva-bhūtāhitaṃ pāpaṃ yat tvayā paripṛcchitam || yac ca māṃ pṛcchate bhadre śubhaṃ kīdṛśam ucyate
sarvabhUtAhitaM pApaM yattvayA paripRRichChitam || yachcha mAM pRRichChate bhadre shubhaM kIdRRishamuchyate
Kejahatan yang memudaratkan semua makhluk, yang telah engkau tanyakan; dan juga, wahai yang mulia, engkau bertanya kepada-Ku: ‘kebaikan (śubha)’ itu dikatakan sebagai yang bagaimana.
Sandhi Notes
- yat tvayā → yattvayā (consonant sandhi)
- yac ca → yacca
- sarva-bhūtāhitaṃ is a tatpuruṣa compound
Varāha
Curious and ethically focused; concerned for all beings
What is ‘pāpa’ in its essence (especially what harms all beings), and what is truly ‘śubha’ (good)?
Moral evil is defined by universal harm; moral good is to be defined in relation to welfare and divine order.
Use ‘harm to beings’ as a litmus test for conduct; prioritize actions that protect, nourish, and stabilize social and cosmic wellbeing.
Varāha acknowledges Pṛthivī’s inquiry: defining pāpa as sarvabhūta-ahita (harmful to all beings) and preparing to define śubha (good).
As Earth’s sustainer, Varāha frames ethics cosmically: what harms beings harms the cosmic body; ‘good’ is what supports dharma and the Lord’s order.
Implicit: ahiṃsā-adjacent ‘non-harm’ as yajña-preserving principle—maintaining ṛta-like harmony among beings.
Ethics grounded in unity/interdependence: harming others deepens avidyā and bondage; śubha aligns the jīva with īśvara’s sustaining will.
Pāpa is characterized by sarvabhūta-ahita (universal harm); the discourse turns to criteria for śubha (good conduct).
Harmful actions generate suffering and demerit; actions aligned with śubha yield welfare and auspicious karmic results.
Leads directly to 116.26 where śubha is linked to dedicating merit to the Lord’s devotees
FAQs
It shows a dialogic pedagogical method: defining ‘harmful evil’ (sarvabhūtāhita pāpa) and then transitioning to criteria for ‘good’ (śubha).
No geographic location is mentioned.
Ethical evaluation is framed in terms of harm to all beings and the discernment of what counts as genuinely beneficial or ‘good’ conduct.
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