Varaha Purana 68.14 — Adhyaya 68, Shloka 14
Dharma Across the Four Yugas, the Disruption of Social Conduct, and Ritual Purification from Varṇa-Mixing Transgressions
माता मातृर्ऋष्वसा श्वश्रूर्भातृपत्नी च पार्थिव । स्नुषा च दुहिता चैव मित्रपत्नी स्वगोत्रजा ॥ ६८.१४ ॥
mātā mātṛṣvasā śvaśrūr bhātṛpatnī ca pārthiva | snuṣā ca duhitā caiva mitrapatnī svagotrājā || 68.14 ||
“(Seseorang) ibu, ibu saudara sebelah ibu, ibu mertua, dan isteri saudara lelaki, wahai raja; demikian juga menantu perempuan dan anak perempuan, serta isteri sahabat dan wanita daripada gotra (keturunan) yang sama.”
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; not explicit in excerpt)
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":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Enumerates close-kin and socially protected relations (mother, maternal aunt, mother-in-law, brother’s wife, daughter-in-law, daughter, friend’s wife, same-gotra woman) as ‘agamyā’—forbidden sexual partners.","karmic_consequence":"Violation is treated as grave pāpa (often classed among major sexual transgressions in śāstric traditions), leading to severe demerit and necessitating heavy expiation in the broader discourse."}
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":"social-ethical boundary setting","core_concept":"Dharma protects familial and social trust by marking certain relationships as inviolable; ‘gotra’ functions as a ritual-kinship boundary.","practical_application":"Treat kinship and gotra relations as strict prohibitions; maintain social trust and ritual order by avoiding any ambiguity in such relations."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Social Norms","Kinship Relations"]
Primary Rasa: bībhatsa (moral revulsion)
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: 68.68.15 (adds royal wife/daughter and other categories; states pāpa result)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic tableau where the teacher enumerates forbidden relations; symbolic silhouettes/icons represent each relation rather than explicit depiction.","item_prompts":["teacher counting categories","icons: mother, aunt, mother-in-law, brother’s wife, daughter-in-law, daughter, friend’s wife, same-gotra marker","protective boundary motif (circle/line)","manuscript stand"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: teacher in center; around him small medallions depicting relation-icons; strong contour lines; moral-serious palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central teacher with gold halo; eight small framed vignettes around; gold borders and ornamental arch.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined symbolic panels; soft shading; emphasis on gesture and didactic clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: miniature-style circular medallions around the speaker; delicate landscape margin; restrained symbolism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave and admonitory","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"low, controlled, emphasizing each listed relation distinctly"}
FAQs
It preserves a dharma-oriented catalog of close familial and social relations, reflecting how Purāṇic literature systematized norms of conduct using kinship terminology shared with Dharmaśāstra traditions.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it is a normative list of relations rather than a site-description passage.
The verse enumerates categories of women defined by family, affinity, friendship, and lineage—typically used in dharma contexts to mark relations requiring heightened respect and restraint in social conduct.
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