Varaha Purana 13.53: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 53
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
Pūrva Bhāga · Dāna–Dharma (Ethics of Gifts and Patronage)
रत्नवस्त्रमहायानं सर्वं भोगादिकं वसु । विभवे सति विप्रेभ्यो अस्मानुद्दिश्य दास्यति ॥ १३.५३ ॥
ratnavastramahāyānaṃ sarvaṃ bhogādikaṃ vasu | vibhave sati viprebhyo asmān uddiśya dāsyati || 13.53 ||
ratnavastramahAyAnaM sarvaM bhogAdikaM vasu | vibhave sati viprebhyo asmAnuddishya dAsyati || 13.53 ||
Quando tiver recursos, ele dará aos brāhmaṇas—dedicando-o em nosso nome—joias, vestes, grandes veículos e toda riqueza composta de gozos e recursos correlatos.
Sandhi Notes
- अस्मानुद्दिश्य = अस्मान् + उद्दिश्य
Varāha
Curious; receptive to instruction on righteous patronage and ritual economy
How should a householder use prosperity so that wealth becomes dharma through properly dedicated gifts?
Prosperity is to be sanctified by dedicatory giving; intention (‘in our name’) is integral to dharmic efficacy.
Allocate a portion of surplus for brāhmaṇa-support/ritual economy with explicit saṅkalpa; treat luxury goods as potential offerings rather than private entitlement.
Varāha frames dāna as yajña-extension: personal prosperity becomes sacrificial substance when offered with saṅkalpa ‘in our name,’ aligning household economy with cosmic order (ṛta/dharma).
Wealth (vibhava) functions as havis; brāhmaṇa-recipient functions as āhavanīya locus; ‘uddishya’ (dedication) functions as saṅkalpa/nyāsa that redirects enjoyment (bhoga) into yajñārtha.
Karma-yoga logic: relinquishing ownership (tyāga of phala/abhimāna) purifies the giver; the Lord as inner recipient (antaryāmin) is honored through qualified recipients.
When endowed with means, one should give valuables (jewels, garments, conveyances, enjoyments/wealth) to brāhmaṇas, explicitly dedicating the gift in the Lord’s name (i.e., as an offering).
Properly dedicated dāna converts bhoga-wealth into merit and auspicious continuity; hoarding or giving without right intention is implied to yield diminished fruit.
13.13.54-57 (graded giving by capacity)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic social-ethical theme: regulated generosity (dāna) as part of household and public patronage, including the practice of dedicating gifts in the name of a revered figure or beneficiary.
No geographic location is named in this verse fragment.
To give material support—according to one’s capacity—to learned recipients (here, brāhmaṇas), emphasizing intentional dedication (uddiśya) rather than indiscriminate or purely self-serving giving.
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