Varaha Purana 112.17 — Adhyaya 112, Shloka 17
Praise and Procedure of Donating the Two-Faced Kapilā Cow and the Golden Pot
Hema-kumbha
पतितैः स हि विज्ञेयश्चाण्डालसदृशोऽधमः ॥ तस्मान्न प्रतिगृह्णीयाच्छ्रूद्राद्विप्रः प्रतिग्रहम् ॥
patitaiḥ sa hi vijñeyaś cāṇḍāla-sadṛśo 'dhamaḥ || tasmān na pratigṛhṇīyāc chrūdrād vipraḥ pratigraham ||
అతడు పతితుడని తెలుసుకోవాలి—అధముడు, చాండాలుని సమానుడు. అందువల్ల విప్రుడు శూద్రుని నుండి ప్రతిగ్రహం (దానం స్వీకారం) చేయకూడదు.
Varāha
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"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"A vipra should not accept gifts (pratigraha) from a Śūdra; one who does is deemed fallen, base, like a caṇḍāla.","karmic_consequence":"Violation results in patitatva (loss of standing) and severe demerit; restraint preserves ritual-social integrity and merit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"normative dharma (conduct regulation)","core_concept":"Pratigraha is morally potent; improper acceptance corrupts the recipient’s dharmic identity and standing.","practical_application":"Within the text’s framework, regulate acceptance of gifts by prescribed eligibility rules; cultivate non-greed and discernment in receiving."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Historical Dharma-shastra"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 112.16 (desire-driven acceptance and degradation)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stern dharma instruction scene: Varāha declares the prohibition; a vipra refuses a gift; the ‘fallen’ state is symbolized by a darkened silhouette or broken sacred thread motif.","item_prompts":["Varāha as authoritative teacher","vipra with yajñopavīta stepping back from offered gift","gesture of refusal (abhaya/niṣedha)","symbolic fall: broken garland, dim aura, or shadow figure labeled ‘patita’","scroll/palm-leaf text indicating rule"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: frontal didactic composition; strong hand-gestures; contrasting light (dharma) and dark (fall) zones; ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted teacher and vipra; the refused gift rendered prominently; background subdued; moral clarity through iconographic emphasis.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined courtroom-like ethical scene; subtle symbolism (slipping sacred thread) rather than overt darkness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative moral episode; expressive faces; minimal props; emphasis on the moment of refusal and consequence."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"stern, juridical","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"firm, uncompromising"}
FAQs
It documents a normative boundary in premodern Sanskrit ethics regarding gift exchange and status, useful for historians of dharma literature.
No geographic location is identified.
It forbids certain forms of gift-acceptance and frames them as status-degrading within the text’s moral logic.
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