Varaha Purana 209.4: Adhyaya 209, Shloka 4
Description of the Greatness of the Pativratā
Marital Fidelity and Ethical Devotion
प्रसुप्ते या प्रस्वपिति जागर्ति विबुधे स्वयम् ॥ भुङ्क्ते तु भोजिते विप्र सा मृत्युम् जयति ध्रुवम् ॥
prasupte yā prasvapiti jāgarti vibudhe svayam || bhuṅkte tu bhojite vipra sā mṛtyuṁ jayati dhruvam
Aquela que dorme quando (o esposo) adormeceu, que desperta quando ele despertou, e que come quando ele já foi alimentado—ó brāhmaṇa—certamente vence a morte.
Yama
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"What household conduct (especially wifely discipline and synchrony with the husband) is taught as a means to ‘conquer death’ (i.e., attain auspicious post-mortem destiny)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"A wife should align her sleep, waking, and eating with her husband’s (sleep after he sleeps, wake when he wakes, eat after he is fed).","karmic_consequence":"Such pativratā-style conduct is praised as leading to ‘victory over death’ (auspicious destiny/merit); deviation is implicitly treated as loss of that merit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics (gṛhastha-dharma)","core_concept":"Self-regulation and service within household roles is framed as spiritually efficacious (mṛtyu-jaya as merit/auspicious afterlife).","practical_application":"Cultivate disciplined daily rhythms and prioritization of the spouse’s needs as a vowed practice (niyama) within household life."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Household dharma","Gendered social ideals (textual)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: śṛṅgāra
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 209.5-209.8 (continuation of pativratā typology)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Yama, as a stern yet didactic authority, instructs a brāhmaṇa about the idealized pativratā wife whose daily actions mirror her husband’s rhythms (sleep/wake/eat).","item_prompts":["Yama seated as judge-teacher","brāhmaṇa listener with añjali","domestic interior (bed, lamp, simple meal) shown in vignettes","visual triptych: sleeping, waking, eating after husband"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Yama with dark/blue complexion, ornate crown and jewelry, calm authoritative gesture (vyākhyāna-mudrā), brāhmaṇa in white, warm domestic vignettes in side panels, flat perspective, rich reds/ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: Yama enthroned with gold-leaf arch, embossed ornaments, brāhmaṇa devotee at side; small inset panels showing the three domestic acts; saturated colors and heavy gilding.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework, soft shading; Yama as dignified instructor, minimal but elegant household setting; emphasis on facial expression and gesture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate courtly interior; Yama as a regal teacher, brāhmaṇa seated; narrative miniatures of sleep/wake/eat arranged around, delicate palette and fine borders."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, grave","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, judicial, instructive"}
FAQs
It encapsulates a normative ideal of marital synchrony and service found across Purāṇic and Dharmaśāstra-adjacent literature, important for understanding historical social ethics.
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The verse praises attentive care and coordinated household conduct as a paradigm of ethical excellence, expressed through the metaphor of “conquering death.”
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