Varaha Purana 8.18 — Adhyaya 8, Shloka 18
Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices
Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna
तस्यागतस्य संबन्धी मतङ्गो जयतां वरः । आसनाद्यार्ध्यपाद्येन पूजयित्वेदमब्रवीत् । किमागमनकृत्यं ते किं करोम्यागतक्रियाम् ॥ ८.१८ ॥
tasyāgatasya sambandhī mataṅgo jayatāṃ varaḥ | āsanādyārghyapādyena pūjayitvedam abravīt | kim āgamanakṛtyaṃ te kiṃ karomy āgatakriyām || 8.18 ||
तस्य आगतस्य संबन्धी मतङ्गो जयतां वरः । आसनार्घ्यपाद्यैः पूजयित्वा इदमब्रवीत्— किमागमनकृत्यं ते? किं करोम्यागतक्रियाम्? ॥
Mataṅga
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"What is the purpose of your visit, and what hospitality (atithi-satkara) should I perform for you?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Atithi-dharma: welcome the guest with āsana, arghya, and pādya, then inquire respectfully about the purpose of the visit and needed service.","karmic_consequence":"Proper honoring of guests brings merit, auspiciousness, and social harmony; neglect of atithi-satkara yields demerit and loss of prosperity."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"social dharma as spiritual practice","core_concept":"Serving the guest is a form of worship; dharma is enacted through small, correct actions (ācāra).","practical_application":"Receive visitors with respect, offer water/seat/food as able, and ask their needs without suspicion or pride."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Hospitality","Dialogue"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: hasya
Type: household (gṛha)
Related Themes: Varaha Purana 8.8.20 (food offered after arghya/pādya)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Mataṅga receives Dharmavyādha at the threshold, offering a seat and ritual water; a respectful conversation begins.","item_prompts":["threshold welcome","āsana (mat/seat)","arghya vessel","pādya water pot","two figures facing with respectful gestures"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, frontal hospitality tableau, ornate vessels, warm palette, dignified hand-mudras of offering.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-leaf vessels and doorway arch, richly patterned textiles, symmetrical composition of host and guest.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, fine detailing of utensils, gentle expressions, soft background architecture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature, intimate veranda scene, delicate vessels, emphasis on narrative gesture and polite speech."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent and civil","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"gentle, clear, with respectful cadence"}
FAQs
It preserves a conventional Sanskrit literary and dharma-ethical model of guest reception—offering a seat, arghya, and pādya—reflecting widely attested norms of ātithi-satkāra across Purāṇic and epic corpora.
No explicit geographic location is named in this verse; it focuses on interpersonal protocol and inquiry during a meeting.
The verse foregrounds courteous hospitality: honoring an arriving person with appropriate offerings and respectfully asking the purpose of the visit and how one may assist.
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