Varaha Purana 39.18 — Adhyaya 39, Shloka 18
Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance
वित्तेन च विना दानं दातुं विप्र न शक्यते । विद्यमानेऽपि न मतिः कुटुम्बासक्तचेतसः । तस्य मोक्षः कथं ब्रह्मन् सर्वथा दुर्लभो हरिः ॥ ३९.१८ ॥
vittena ca vinā dānaṃ dātuṃ vipra na śakyate | vidyamāne 'pi na matiḥ kuṭumbāsaktacetasaḥ | tasya mokṣaḥ kathaṃ brahman sarvathā durlabho hariḥ || 39.18 ||
“Tanpa harta, wahai brāhmaṇa, tidak mungkin memberi dāna. Walaupun harta ada, orang yang hatinya terpaut pada keluarga tidak menumbuhkan niat (untuk memberi). Maka bagaimana ia memperoleh mokṣa, wahai Brahman? Bagi dirinya, Hari sungguh sukar dicapai dalam segala hal.”
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"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":"Dāna depends on wealth, but even with wealth it fails when the mind is bound by family-attachment; such attachment obstructs mokṣa and makes Hari hard to attain.","karmic_consequence":"Following: cultivating generosity and non-attachment supports liberation; Breaking: clinging to kuṭumba and withholding giving entrenches bondage and delays access to Hari."}
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":"ethics-to-mokṣa bridge","core_concept":"External means (wealth) are insufficient without inner transformation; attachment (āsakti) is the real impediment to dāna and mokṣa.","practical_application":"Practice intentional giving within one’s means and cultivate non-possessiveness (aparigraha/tyāga) even as a householder; train the mind away from exclusive family-centered clinging."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Mokṣa (Liberation)","Householder Psychology","Dāna (Gift-giving)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vairāgya
Type: None
Related Themes: 39.39.17 (yajña’s dependence on wealth); 39.39.19 (request for low-effort universal means)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha (as divine teacher) explains to a brāhmaṇa that lack of wealth blocks giving, and even wealth fails when the mind is tied to family—making Hari difficult to reach.","item_prompts":["divine teacher seated, instructive hand gesture","listener brāhmaṇa with folded hands","household symbols (spouse/children silhouette, granary, coins) subtly behind the listener","contrast motif: coins present but hand withheld"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dignified divine instructor with calm authority, stylized household backdrop indicating attachment, muted but rich palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: teacher figure with gold highlights, symbolic coins and household items rendered ornamentally, moral gravity emphasized through posture.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined expressions—teacher compassionate yet firm; listener conflicted; minimal props indicating family-attachment.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative vignette—teacher under a tree, house in distance, listener looking back toward home, conveying āsakti vs mokṣa tension."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and sobering","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, compassionate, admonitory"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical discourse: the practical conditions for dāna (resources and intention) and how household attachment can obstruct soteriological aims, situating morality within a broader liberation-oriented framework.
No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse; it is a general ethical and philosophical statement rather than a tīrtha- or place-focused passage.
The verse distinguishes material capacity from moral intention: wealth enables giving, but attachment to household life can inhibit the disposition to give; such attachment is presented as an obstacle to liberation and to attaining Hari (Viṣṇu).
Ask anything about this verse
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