Varaha Purana 170.91: Adhyaya 170, Shloka 91
The Birth of Gokarṇa and the Fruits of Śiva Worship
including the Śukodara Parrot Episode and Hospitality Ethics
क्रीत्वा क्रेयानि वस्तूनि लाभालाभं विचार्य च ॥ उत्तरापथदेशात्तु सार्थं सबहुविस्तरम्
krītvā kreyāni vastūni lābhālābhaṃ vicārya ca || uttarāpathadeśāttu sārthaṃ sabahuvistaram
क्रेयानि वस्तूनि क्रीत्वा लाभालाभं विचार्य च; उत्तरापथदेशात् बहुविस्तरं सार्थं सह आगताः।
Varāha (default narrative frame)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"Engage in trade with deliberation—assess gain and loss (lābhālābha-vicāra) and organize safe caravan movement (sārtha).","karmic_consequence":"Prudent, fair commerce sustains household and society; reckless or deceitful trade leads to loss, conflict, and reputational/ethical downfall."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethical prudence (yukti) within dharma","core_concept":"Dharma includes intelligent discernment in worldly action—profit/loss reflection is not opposed to righteousness when guided by fairness and restraint.","practical_application":"Before major undertakings, evaluate outcomes, risks, and social impact; prefer collective safety (caravan) and honest accounting."}
Subject Matter: ["Economic Life","Ancient Trade Routes","Decision-making (profit/loss)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: interregional trade corridor
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: narrative descriptions of settlements and movements of people often frame later tīrtha or social episodes (general structural parallel)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Merchants after purchasing trade goods, discussing profit and loss, arriving from Uttarāpatha with a large caravan.","item_prompts":["bullock carts laden with bales","merchants with ledgers/cloth bundles","guards and caravan leader (sārthavāha)","road markers, dust trail","northern attire cues (woolen shawls)","pack animals (oxen, horses, camels depending on artistic choice)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: long procession of carts and animals; rhythmic spacing; warm earth tones; stylized merchants gesturing in discussion; palm-leaf ledger motif.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: caravan as a grand frieze; gold accents on harnesses and ornaments; rich textile patterns on bales; decorative border like a temple corridor.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: elegant, detailed caravan scene with soft shading; careful depiction of trade goods and expressions of deliberation; balanced composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: winding road through landscape; small narrative figures; emphasis on journey and distance; crisp outlines and cool atmospheric perspective."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative, steady","suggested_raga":"Bhairav (or Desh)","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"measured, matter-of-fact"}
FAQs
It reflects an awareness of long-distance trade, caravans, and commercial calculation, contributing to reconstructions of economic life in Sanskrit narrative traditions.
Uttarāpatha is named—an ancient term commonly used for the northern route/region, broadly associated in scholarship with North and Northwest trade corridors.
It emphasizes prudent deliberation—evaluating gain and loss—before undertaking commercial activity.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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.