Varaha Purana 5.14: Adhyaya 5, Shloka 14
Reconciliation of Action and Knowledge: Offering All Acts to Nārāyaṇa and the Hymn to the Yajña-Puruṣa
बृहस्पतिर्देवगुरू रैभ्यं वचनमन्तिके । किं करोमि महाभाग वेदवेदाङ्गपारग ॥ ५.१४ ॥
bṛhaspatir devagurū raibhyaṃ vacanam antike | kiṃ karomi mahābhāga veda-vedāṅga-pāraga || 5.14 ||
देवगुरुः बृहस्पतिः रैभ्यमन्तिके वचनमब्रवीत्— ‘किं करोमि महाभाग, वेदवेदाङ्गपारग?’
Bṛhaspati
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","key_question":"What course of action should be undertaken—what is the right ‘to do’—in a situation requiring dharmic discernment?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"epistemic humility / dharma-vicāra","core_concept":"Even the learned seek guidance; dharma requires consultation (saṃvid) and inquiry rather than impulse.","practical_application":"When uncertain, approach a qualified knower (veda-vedāṅga-pāraga) and ask directly, without ego."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Pedagogy","Dialogue","Dharma-shastra (contextual)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: dialogue space within sabhā
Related Themes: VP 5.5.15 (Raibhya’s explicit question on karma vs mokṣa)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bṛhaspati, radiant as deva-guru, leans slightly toward Raibhya and asks, with respectful address, what he should do.","item_prompts":["Bṛhaspati with halo and guru attributes (kamandalu/rosary)","Raibhya as venerable king-sage","close conversational spacing (antike)","teaching/asking hand gesture","quiet attentive background figures"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Bṛhaspati haloed, turned toward Raibhya; expressive eyes and hand-mudrā of inquiry; subdued sabhā backdrop.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: luminous Bṛhaspati with gold halo; Raibhya richly dressed yet ascetic in demeanor; ornate arch framing the intimate exchange.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined portrait-like two-figure composition; subtle gesture of inquiry; soft interior lighting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: delicate linework; two figures in profile conversation; minimal court elements, emphasis on the spoken question."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"inquiring, respectful","suggested_raga":"Kalyāṇi","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"gentle, interrogative, reverent"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative technique: authoritative figures (here Bṛhaspati) seek counsel from renowned sages, foregrounding learned transmission and the prestige of Vedic-auxiliary scholarship.
No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse; it is set within a conversational scene rather than a sacred-geography description.
The verse emphasizes intellectual humility and counsel-seeking: even a highly placed teacher consults an acknowledged expert, presenting learned deliberation as a normative practice.
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