Varaha Purana 13.54: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 54

The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times

Pūrva Bhāga · Dāna–Bhojana Dharma (Ethics of hospitality and almsgiving)

Devanagari script

अन्नेन वा यथाशक्त्या कालेऽस्मिन् भक्तिनम्रधीः । भोजयिष्यति विप्राग्र्यांस्तन्मात्रविभवो नरः ॥ १३.५४ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 13.54

Transliteration

annena vā yathāśaktyā kāle 'smin bhaktinamradhīḥ | bhojayiṣyati viprāgryāṁs tanmātravibhavo naraḥ || 13.54 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

W tym czasie człowiek, którego umysł jest pokornie nastawiony poprzez oddanie, powinien stosownie do swoich możliwości karmić najwybitniejszych wśród brāhmanów jedzeniem, ograniczając się jedynie do tej miary środków, którą posiada.

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Word by Word

• अन्नेन: with food
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Root: vā (अव्यय)

• यथाशक्त्या: according to one’s capacity
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्ययीभाव समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; अर्थे—‘according to ability’
• Role: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)

• काले: at the time
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मिन्: in this (time)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)

• भक्तिनम्रधीः: one whose mind is humble with devotion
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि—‘भक्त्या नम्रा धीः यस्य सः’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + namra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhī (प्रातिपदिक)

• भोजयिष्यति: will feed
• Type: Verb
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative) + लृट् (Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: bhuj (धातु)

• विप्राग्र्यान्: excellent Brahmins
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष—‘श्रेष्ठा विप्राः’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक) + agrya (प्रातिपदिक)

• तन्मात्रविभवः: having only that much means
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘तत्-मात्रः विभवः यस्य’ (limited means)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhava (प्रातिपदिक)

• नरः: man
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• कालेऽस्मिन् = काले + अस्मिन्
• विप्राग्र्यांस्तन्मात्रविभवो = विप्राग्र्यान् + तन्मात्रविभवः

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Karuna rasaSetting: Social-ritual space (atithi-sevā)

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious; seeking workable dharma for ordinary people

What she asks

If one’s resources are limited, what is the proper minimum standard of hospitality/dāna toward brāhmaṇas?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Bhakti-infused dharma

Subjects

EthicsDāna (charitable giving)Hospitality normsSocial dharma

Core idea

Devotion and humility, not extravagance, are the core; dharma scales with capacity (yathāśakti).

In practice

Set a sustainable practice of feeding/hosting worthy guests or supporting learned persons/temples/annadāna kitchens within one’s budget.

Symbolism of the boar

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Ethics
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Dharmaśāstra-adjacent norms

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical theme: merit is associated with hospitality and giving, but explicitly calibrated to personal capacity (yathāśaktyā), indicating a normative social ethic rather than an absolute economic requirement.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it is a general ethical injunction rather than a site-specific māhātmya passage.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To offer food as a form of charitable hospitality to exemplary recipients (viprāgryān), doing so with a humble disposition and in proportion to one’s available means.