Varaha Purana 98.19: Adhyaya 98, Shloka 19
Chapter on the Sacred Hill Episode: Satyatapā and the Marvel of Varāha
भगवन्निह दृष्टस्ते वराहः पृथुलो महान् ॥ येन तं हन्मि भृत्यानां पोषणाय महामुने ॥
bhagavan niha dṛṣṭas te varāhaḥ pṛthulo mahān || yena taṃ hanmi bhṛtyānāṃ poṣaṇāya mahā-mune ||
भगवन्निह दृष्टस्ते वराहः पृथुलो महान्। येन तं हन्मि भृत्यानां पोषणाय महामुने॥
Mṛgayu (the hunter)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"boar_form_detail":"varāhaḥ pṛthulo mahān (a great, massive boar)"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","key_question":"How can I kill the boar to feed my dependents?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Livelihood (bhṛtya-poṣaṇa) is invoked as justification for violence; the verse frames a dharmic conflict between ahiṃsā and family-support duty.","karmic_consequence":"If pursued with greed/cruelty, hunting accrues pāpa; if guided by restraint and higher counsel, the agent may be redirected toward less harmful sustenance."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma-sankata","core_concept":"Ethical decisions are complicated by necessity; intention (poṣaṇa) and means (hiṃsā) must be weighed under guidance of the wise.","practical_application":"Seek counsel before harmful acts; explore non-violent livelihoods and community support when dependents suffer."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ecology","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: forest margin (hunting ground adjoining āśrama)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 98.22-23 (sage’s deliberation; hunger of household)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A hunter respectfully addresses a sage, pointing out a huge boar and asking how to kill it to feed his household—an image of desperation meeting sanctity.","item_prompts":["hunter with bow, humble posture","sage with matted hair and staff","distant massive boar silhouette","simple forest clearing","suggestion of dependents (wife/children) as imagined backdrop"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: expressive hunter with folded hands, sage serene; large Varāha form in background; strong color blocks and ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: sage central with gold halo; hunter at side with bow; boar large in background; gold detailing on sage’s seat and ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced facial emotion—hunter’s anxiety, sage’s compassion; detailed forest textures; restrained palette.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative vignette with gentle hills/trees; hunter and sage in foreground; boar in mid-ground; emphasis on storytelling clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"pleading and tense","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"earnest, slightly strained on ‘poṣaṇāya’"}
FAQs
It documents a social-ethical scenario—subsistence and responsibility for dependents—embedded within a sacred narrative, illustrating how Purāṇas stage moral deliberation.
No new location is named; the verse continues within the previously established setting where the boar has appeared.
It frames a conflict between livelihood needs and potential harm, inviting reflection on necessity, proportionality, and the consequences of violence.
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