Varaha Purana 148.35: Adhyaya 148, Shloka 35
The Greatness of Stutasvāmi: Varāha’s Disclosure of the Bhūtagiri Sacred Landscape and Its Ethical Discipline
ते तु मात्सर्यार्दोषेण नष्टाचाराः पतन्त्यधः ॥ मात्सर्यं सर्वनाशाय मात्सर्यं धर्मनाशकम् ॥
te tu mātsaryārdoṣeṇa naṣṭācārāḥ patanty adhaḥ || mātsaryaṁ sarvanāśāya mātsaryaṁ dharmanāśakam
ते तु मात्सर्यदोषेण नष्टाचाराः पतन्त्यधः। मात्सर्यं सर्वनाशाय; मात्सर्यं धर्मनाशकम्।
Varāha (default instructor voice in Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","earth_interaction":"Varāha warns Bhū-devī of the downward fall (patanty adhaḥ) caused by envy, emphasizing its total destructive power against dharma and conduct."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"alarmed, protective toward beings, seeking prevention of moral collapse","key_question":"What is the ultimate consequence of envy upon conduct and destiny, and why is it singled out as universally ruinous?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"narakas","instruction_summary":"Mātsarya corrupts ācāra; those seized by it lose right conduct and fall downward—envy is the destroyer of dharma and the cause of ruin.","karmic_consequence":"Practicing envy leads to moral degradation and downward destinies (adhogati); abandoning envy preserves ācāra and supports auspicious gati."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"moral causality and character-erosion","core_concept":"Envy is not a single act but a corrosive disposition that dismantles ācāra, leading to spiritual and social collapse.","practical_application":"Interrupt envy early through gratitude, celebrating others’ success, and redirecting energy into seva and self-improvement rather than comparison."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Dharma discourse"]
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: dialogue-space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 148.36–38 (envy blocks darśana; is dharma-ghātaka; māyā-taint)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark moral allegory: people gripped by envy tumble from a crumbling platform of 'ācāra' into a dark abyss, while dharma symbols shatter; Varāha warns Bhū-devī beside the scene.","item_prompts":["crumbling platform labeled ācāra","figures falling downward (adhaḥ)","broken dharma scale/pillar","Varāha in admonishing posture","Bhū-devī distressed yet attentive"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: high-contrast didactic scene—falling figures in dark tones; shattered dharma emblem; Varāha luminous and stern; dynamic diagonals.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate Varāha with gold halo; dramatic lower register showing fall and broken dharma symbols; gold used to highlight dharma’s lost radiance.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: classical moral tableau with controlled drama; detailed expressions of envy; subtle chiaroscuro for the abyss.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative cliff scene with stylized fall; dharma emblem broken like a snapped staff; Varāha and Bhū-devī on a ledge, calm but grave."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave warning, forceful conclusion","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"stern, emphatic"}
FAQs
It represents a common Purāṇic ethical motif: inner vices (doṣa) such as mātsarya are treated as socially and spiritually corrosive, undermining ācāra (normative conduct) and dharma.
No specific location is named in this verse; it functions as a general ethical statement within a larger sacred-geography narrative in the surrounding passage.
Avoid mātsarya (envy), presented as a cause of moral decline (naṣṭācāra) and the destruction of dharma.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.