Varaha Purana 174.76 — Adhyaya 174, Shloka 76
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
द्विजः प्रतिग्रहीता कपिलाङ्गेषु तिष्ठन्ति भुवनानि चतुर्दश ॥ दत्त्वा कामदुघां लोकाः भवन्ति सफलाः नृणाम् ॥
dvijaḥ pratigrahītā kapilāṅgeṣu tiṣṭhanti bhuvanāni caturdaśa || dattvā kāmadughāṁ lokā bhavanti saphalā nṛṇām ||
द्विजः प्रतिग्रहीता; कपिलाङ्गेषु तिष्ठन्ति भुवनानि चतुर्दश। दत्त्वा कामदुघां धेनुं, नृणां लोकाः सफलाः भवन्ति।
Varāha (default, not explicitly marked in this verse-fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None explicit; general Vaiṣṇava dāna cosmology."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Gau-dāna (gift of a kapilā cow) is extolled: her limbs contain the fourteen worlds; gifting her makes human aims/destinies fruitful.","karmic_consequence":"Performing such dāna yields loka-sāphalya (fruitful attainments) and broad merit; withholding/violating cow-protection ethics is implied to obstruct prosperity and spiritual progress."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The cow is presented as a microcosm (piṇḍa-brahmāṇḍa): the cosmos housed in a sacred living being; dāna becomes a cosmological act aligning the donor with universal order.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Not Varāha-specific; yajña imagery: cow as yajñic support (milk/ghee) and as cosmic container; gifting her is gifting the very means of sacrifice and sustenance.","vedantic_connection":"Microcosm-macrocosm correspondence; dharmic action (dāna) as a means to harmonize individual life with cosmic structure."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmic ethics of generosity","core_concept":"A sacred being can embody the cosmos; giving with reverence expands one’s life-fruit beyond the narrow self.","practical_application":"Support cow-protection and ethical pastoral care; practice dāna that sustains others’ livelihood and ritual life."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Ethics","Ritual Economy"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Dāna setting (cow-gift ceremony; village/āśrama implied)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 174 (dāna and ritual economy sequence)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A kapilā (tawny) cow stands as a cosmic being, with subtle indications of fourteen worlds mapped onto her limbs, while a donor performs gau-dāna, making human destinies ‘fruitful’.","item_prompts":["tawny cow with gentle expression","fourteen-loka symbols (tiers/auras) superimposed on limbs","donor offering water/grass and gifting gesture","recipient brāhmaṇa/priest","garlands and ritual thread","small cosmic diagram/mandala behind cow"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: majestic kapilā cow with layered loka-aura bands; donor and recipient in ritual posture; saturated sacred colors and stylized cosmic motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: cow centered with gold-leaf cosmic halos; ornate jewelry/garlands; donor scene at base; emphasis on auspiciousness and prosperity.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: naturalistic cow with subtle cosmic overlay; refined ceremonial setting; calm, dignified figures.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: pastoral miniature with cow in foreground; delicate stacked-loka cloud bands; serene hills; intimate dāna moment."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic and auspicious","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"sonorous, proclamatory"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic idiom where gift-giving (dāna) is linked to cosmological symbolism, illustrating how ritual economy and social ethics were framed through mythic cosmography.
No specific location is named in this verse; it uses cosmological imagery (the fourteen worlds) rather than a tīrtha-site.
It promotes dāna—specifically gifting a cow—as an ethical act believed to yield ‘fruitful’ outcomes for human life and posthumous destiny.
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