Varaha Purana 174.28: Adhyaya 174, Shloka 28
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
नित्यं च कलहो यत्र प्रेता भुञ्जन्ति तत्र वै ॥ अपात्रे प्रतिदत्तानि विधिहीनानि यानि च ॥ निन्दितानां द्विजातीनां जुगुप्सितकुलोद्भवे
nityaṃ ca kalaho yatra pretā bhuñjanti tatra vai || apātre pratidattāni vidhihīnāni yāni ca || ninditānāṃ dvijātīnāṃ jugupsita-kulodbhave
यत्र नित्यं कलहो भवति, तत्र वै प्रेताः भुञ्जन्ति; तथा अपात्रे प्रतिदत्तं, विधिहीनं च, निन्दितानां द्विजातीनां जुगुप्सितकुलोद्भवानां च यद्दत्तं तदपि।
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
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":"dana","instruction_summary":"Avoid constant household quarrel and avoid dāna that is apātra, vidhihīna, or directed to censured dvijas of despised conduct/lineage; such gifts become preta-bhojana.","karmic_consequence":"Properly placed, duly performed dāna yields puṇya and social-ritual harmony; misdirected/irregular dāna is ‘eaten’ by pretas, diminishing merit and increasing inauspiciousness."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of intention and eligibility","core_concept":"Merit is not only in giving but in right recipient (pātratā), right method (vidhi), and a non-hostile moral atmosphere (akalaha).","practical_application":"Cultivate household harmony; verify recipient worthiness and perform dāna with proper rites, respect, and procedure."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual propriety","Social order"]
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: domestic/social-ritual setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 174.29-32 (conditions that attract pretas; dāna and vidhi)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A house filled with quarrel—gesturing family members arguing—while a donor hands gifts to an unworthy recipient; pretas linger to ‘consume’ the merit.","item_prompts":["arguing householders","donation scene with coins/cloth","recipient with dubious demeanor","ritual items improperly arranged","shadowy pretas near the gift"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized expressive hand-gestures for quarrel; flat patterned interiors; pretas as dark decorative silhouettes at margins.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: donor and recipient in frontal pose with gold ornamentation; pretas in low-relief dark tones; emphasize the ‘gift’ with gold leaf.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced facial expressions showing kalaha; detailed textiles of dāna; subtle supernatural presence behind figures.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative vignette—two scenes in one frame (quarrel + misdirected dāna); soft hills/architecture motifs; pretas as pale wisps."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"stern, corrective","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"sharp emphasis on ‘kalaho’ and ‘apātre’ with didactic clarity"}
FAQs
It preserves a normative taxonomy of ‘proper giving’ (dāna) and ‘proper procedure’ (vidhi), reflecting broader Dharmaśāstra-adjacent concerns in Purāṇic literature.
No geographic location is named in this verse.
Avoid persistent discord and avoid gifts made without procedure or to recipients deemed unfit by the text’s normative framework.
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