Varaha Purana 155.31: Adhyaya 155, Shloka 31
The Efficacy and Sacred Merit of Akrūra Tīrtha
दत्त्वा च भूमिदानं यो ह्यपकारं करोति च ॥ तेन पापेन लिप्येऽहं यद्यहं नागमे पुनः ॥
dattvā ca bhūmidānaṃ yo hy apakāraṃ karoti ca | tena pāpena lipye 'haṃ yady ahaṃ nāgame punaḥ ||
భూమిదానం ఇచ్చి కూడా అపకారం చేయువాడు—నేను మళ్లీ రాకపోతే ఆ పాపముచేత నేను కలుషితుడనగుదును.
Varāha (default, dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"After giving bhū-dāna (gift of land), to commit harm/abuse is condemned; the verse uses it as a benchmark sin in an oath formula.","karmic_consequence":"Such hypocrisy/violation of dāna’s sanctity yields grave pāpa; the speaker invokes being stained by that sin if he fails to return."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Bhū-dāna resonates with Varāha’s own cosmic ‘restoration of Earth’; harming after gifting land inverts the yajña-like act of sustaining the world.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Land-gift as a microcosmic ‘supporting the Earth’ act; betrayal becomes anti-yajña (yajña-vighna) in ethical terms.","vedantic_connection":"Non-injury and consistency of intention (ahiṃsā, satya) are required for dāna to be sattvic; otherwise it becomes tamasic and binding."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Ethics of giving","core_concept":"Dāna must be integrated with non-harm; otherwise the act is morally voided by subsequent cruelty.","practical_application":"Let generosity be consistent: protect beneficiaries, avoid exploitation after charity, and keep post-dāna conduct aligned with the gift’s intent."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Social Justice","Gift culture (Dāna)"]
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 155.31–33: satya-śapatha structure; 155.35: relational responsibility as parallel ethical theme
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A donor presenting a land-grant (symbolic deed/earth clod) while a contrasting scene shows the same person committing harm—Varāha’s gaze frames the moral contradiction.","item_prompts":["land-grant symbol (earth clod, boundary stones, palm-leaf deed)","beneficiary (brahmin/poor family)","split-scene of harm/abuse","Varāha as moral witness"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: two-panel moral allegory, vivid boundary stones and earth tones, Varāha as central witness with commanding posture.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted Varāha, ornate land-grant ritual scene, secondary vignette darker to show harm, embossed borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined depiction of dāna ritual, subtle moral contrast, expressive faces showing betrayal and regret.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative split with landscape boundary markers, gentle palette with sharp moral contrast, Varāha overseeing from above."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Judicial, reproving","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"authoritative, slightly stern"}
FAQs
It reflects the high valuation of dāna (gifting), especially bhūmidāna, while warning that ritualized generosity does not excuse subsequent wrongdoing—an ethical theme common in Purāṇic didactic passages.
No specific location is named; “bhūmi” is generic (land/earth).
Meritorious acts such as gifting land are ethically undermined if paired with harmful conduct; integrity must accompany generosity.
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