Varaha Purana 38.14 — Adhyaya 38, Shloka 14
The Hunter’s Austerity and the Gaining of Durvāsas’ Favor
तद् गृहीत्वा मुनिं प्राह दुर्वासाख्यं ससाध्वसः । अत्रैव स्थीयतां ब्रह्मन् यावद् भिक्षाटनं त्वहम् । करोमि तत्प्रसादोऽयं क्रियतां ब्रह्मवित्तम ॥ ३८.१४ ॥
tad gṛhītvā muniṁ prāha durvāsākhyam sasādhvasaḥ | atraiva sthīyatāṁ brahman yāvad bhikṣāṭanaṁ tvaham | karomi tatprasādo ’yaṁ kriyatāṁ brahmavittama || 38.14 ||
तद् गृहीत्वा मुनिं प्राह दुर्वासाख्यं ससाध्वसः । अत्रैव स्थीयतां ब्रह्मन् यावद् भिक्षाटनं त्वहम् । करोमि, तत्प्रसादोऽयं क्रियतां ब्रह्मवित्तम ॥
Unspecified (narrative voice; speaker addressing Durvāsā-muni)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","key_question":"Will the sage grant patience and remain, allowing the host to fulfill hospitality through bhikṣā and service?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"A host should respectfully request the atithi to stay and then procure alms/food to complete hospitality; humility and urgency are both proper.","karmic_consequence":"Respectful service to a brahma-vit guest yields merit and blessings; disrespect or delay born of negligence risks curse-like consequences in Purāṇic narrative logic."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics-of-humility","core_concept":"Dharma is upheld through vinaya (humility) toward the wise and through readiness to labor (bhikṣāṭana) for righteous obligations.","practical_application":"When unable to serve immediately, communicate respectfully, ask for time, and actively seek lawful means to fulfill duties; honor the spiritually learned (brahma-vit) as living sacred presence."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ascetic culture","Hospitality norms","Dialogue and persuasion"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: host’s dwelling/clearing
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 38.38.10-13 (test, request, anxiety, divine vessel)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The host, still apprehensive, respectfully addresses Durvāsā, lightly holding or approaching him, requesting him to remain while he goes to gather alms; the scene conveys urgency and reverence.","item_prompts":["Durvāsā standing composed","host with folded hands (añjali) and anxious face","gesture indicating ‘stay here’","path leading outward for bhikṣāṭana","simple hut/forest edge"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong narrative gestures—host in añjali, Durvāsā calm; warm palette; stylized trees and hut; emphasis on facial expression of sādhvasa.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: dignified Durvāsā with halo; host in devotional posture; gold accents on sage’s aura and select ornaments; minimal background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant linework and soft colors; subtle emotional contrast between calm sage and anxious host; detailed textiles and props (kamaṇḍalu).","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate conversational tableau; delicate forest setting; expressive hands and eyes; gentle tonal gradients."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"supplicatory, respectful","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"softened with humility, clear articulation on vocatives ‘brahman’ and ‘brahmavittama’"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative motif: negotiating with an eminent ascetic (here, Durvāsā) and emphasizing social-ethical protocols such as hosting, requesting patience, and securing consent or favor within a culturally recognized framework.
No specific place-name is given in this verse; it uses the deictic “atraiva” (“right here”), which indicates immediate setting rather than a named sacred geography.
The verse foregrounds careful speech and deference toward ascetics and learned Brahmins, alongside the practical ethic of alms-seeking (bhikṣāṭana) and the request for a guest’s forbearance—an aspect of hospitality norms in Sanskrit narrative literature.
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