Varaha Purana 174.29 — Adhyaya 174, Shloka 29
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
जातानां विहितानां च दुष्कृतं कर्म कुर्वताम् ॥ तेभ्यो दत्तं तदस्माकमुपतिष्ठति भोजने
jātānāṃ vihitānāṃ ca duṣkṛtaṃ karma kurvatām || tebhyo dattaṃ tad asmākam upatiṣṭhati bhojane
Bagi mereka yang, walaupun layak menurut kelahiran dan ketetapan śāstra, tetap melakukan perbuatan jahat—apa yang diberikan kepada mereka menjadi hadir bagi kami (yakni para preta) sebagai makanan.
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Even if one is ‘qualified’ by birth and injunction, if one performs duṣkṛta (wrongful acts), gifts given to such persons convert into preta-food (lost merit).","karmic_consequence":"Giving to adharmic ‘qualified’ persons fails to yield intended puṇya and instead accrues to pretas; discernment in pātratā is required beyond mere jāti/adhikāra."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma as conduct-centered","core_concept":"Ethical character (ācāra) overrides nominal qualification; karma reshapes the fruit of ritual acts.","practical_application":"Assess recipients by conduct and learning, not merely status; support sādhus and dhārmikas; avoid enabling wrongdoing through gifts."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Merit economy (dāna and consequence)","Ritual morality"]
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: social-ritual context
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 174.31 (apātra/vidhihīna dāna); Varāha Purāṇa 174.33 (preta petition begins)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A respected-looking recipient (externally qualified) shown performing or associated with wrongful acts; a donor’s gift transforms into shadowy ‘food’ for pretas nearby.","item_prompts":["donor offering cloth/food","recipient with sacred thread but dark aura","symbolic wrong deed in background (bribe, cruelty, intoxication)","pretas receiving the subtle essence"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: contrast bright dharmic symbols (yajñopavīta) with dark patterned aura; pretas at border consuming subtle vapors from the gift.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate recipient with sacred thread; gold-highlighted gift; dark pretas below as the ‘hidden’ beneficiary; strong iconographic contrast.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: psychological realism—recipient’s conflicted expression; fine detailing of ritual thread and gift; faint pretas in chiaroscuro.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: allegorical composition—gift’s essence as a pale stream flowing toward pretas; minimal horror, moral symbolism emphasized."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reflective yet warning","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, emphasizing ‘duṣkṛtaṃ karma’"}
FAQs
It illustrates a Purāṇic model where social/ritual qualification is insufficient without ethical conduct, and where giving is evaluated by recipient-worthiness.
No geographic location is named in this verse.
Ethical conduct is treated as essential; gifts given to wrongdoers are framed as spiritually misdirected.
Ask anything about this verse
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