Varaha Purana 13.54 — Adhyaya 13, Shloka 54
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
अन्नेन वा यथाशक्त्या कालेऽस्मिन् भक्तिनम्रधीः । भोजयिष्यति विप्राग्र्यांस्तन्मात्रविभवो नरः ॥ १३.५४ ॥
annena vā yathāśaktyā kāle 'smin bhaktinamradhīḥ | bhojayiṣyati viprāgryāṁs tanmātravibhavo naraḥ || 13.54 ||
अस्मिन् काले भक्तिनम्रधीर्नरः यथाशक्त्या अन्नेन विप्राग्र्यान् भोजयिष्यति, तन्मात्रविभवः।
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
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":"curious; seeking workable dharma for ordinary people","key_question":"If one’s resources are limited, what is the proper minimum standard of hospitality/dāna toward brāhmaṇas?"}
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":"In the present circumstance, with devotion and humility, one should feed eminent brāhmaṇas according to one’s capacity—bounded only by one’s actual means.","karmic_consequence":"Capacity-based giving preserves dharma without causing self-harm; sincere feeding yields merit proportional to devotion and effort, while neglect of hospitality implies demerit and social-spiritual decline."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Anna-dāna is treated as a micro-yajña: food offered with bhakti becomes a sustaining act mirroring cosmic nourishment (annam as brahman-support in dharmic thought).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Food = havis; feeding = offering into the ‘living fire’ of the worthy recipient; humility (namra-dhī) = purification akin to śuddhi before sacrifice.","vedantic_connection":"Ethic of non-possessiveness and compassion: seeing the same Lord in recipients; bhakti transforms ordinary acts into worship."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-infused dharma","core_concept":"Devotion and humility, not extravagance, are the core; dharma scales with capacity (yathāśakti).","practical_application":"Set a sustainable practice of feeding/hosting worthy guests or supporting learned persons/temples/annadāna kitchens within one’s budget."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Dāna (charitable giving)","Hospitality norms","Social dharma"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇā
Type: social-ritual space (atithi-sevā)
Related Themes: 13.13.55-57 (further minimization: vegetables, dakṣiṇā, sesame-water)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A modest devotee respectfully serves a simple meal to honored brāhmaṇas, hands folded, face lowered in humility.","item_prompts":["simple leaf-plates or bowls","steam rising from food","brāhmaṇas receiving with blessing gesture","devotee in añjali","Varāha as unseen/enshrined presiding deity"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Warm earthy tones; domestic courtyard; rhythmic arrangement of seated brāhmaṇas; devotee offering with reverence.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold accents on vessels and halos; temple-like framing; emphasis on auspiciousness of anna.","mysore_prompt":"Soft shading; detailed utensils; calm devotional expressions; balanced symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pastoral simplicity; minimal architecture; expressive faces; gentle narrative intimacy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"gentle instruction, compassionate","suggested_raga":"Kalyāṇi/Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"soft, encouraging, clear"}
FAQs
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.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it is a general ethical injunction rather than a site-specific māhātmya passage.
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.
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