Varaha Purana 5.25: Adhyaya 5, Shloka 25
Reconciliation of Action and Knowledge: Offering All Acts to Nārāyaṇa and the Hymn to the Yajña-Puruṣa
किमेतदुच्यते भद्र प्रत्यक्षं हेतुमद्वचः । ततः श्रुत्वा मुनेर्विप्रं लुब्धकः प्राह धर्मवित् । कृत्वा लोहमयं जालं तस्याधो ज्वलनं ददौ ॥ ५.२५ ॥
kim etad ucyate bhadra pratyakṣaṁ hetumad vacaḥ | tataḥ śrutvā muner vipraṁ lubdhakaḥ prāha dharmavit | kṛtvā lohamayaṁ jālaṁ tasyādho jvalanaṁ dadau || 5.25 ||
“భద్రా, ఇది ఏమి చెప్పుచున్నావు—ప్రత్యక్షమై కారణసహితమైన వాక్యమేగా!” తరువాత మునిస్వరూప బ్రాహ్మణుని మాట విని ధర్మవేత్త అయిన వేటగాడు పలికెను; ఇనుప వల తయారు చేసి దాని కింద అగ్ని పెట్టెను.
Unspecified (defaults to Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue frame per repository rule)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","key_question":"What is the rational basis (hetumat) of the direct statement, and how should one respond in dharma when challenged?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Dharma is tested in conduct: even one socially deemed ‘low’ (hunter) may act with dharma-jñāna; however, using violence/entrapment (iron net, fire) indicates a perilous, adharmic method despite claims of dharma.","karmic_consequence":"Claiming dharma while acting cruelly accrues pāpa and leads to suffering; genuine dharma aligned with compassion and restraint yields merit and inner purification."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Dharma as lived discernment","core_concept":"Rational speech (hetu) invites scrutiny, but the responder’s motive and method determine dharmic quality; ‘knowing dharma’ is not identical with embodying it.","practical_application":"When questioned, respond without coercion; evaluate means (upāya) as well as ends; avoid rationalizing cruelty as righteousness."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative Literature","Conduct and Consequence"]
Primary Rasa: Raudra
Secondary Rasa: Bhayanaka
Related Themes: Varaha Purana 5.5.24 (greedy/harsh speech sets up conflict); Varaha Purana 5.5.26 (ascetic power displayed amid ordeal)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dramatic action scene: the hunter speaks while preparing an iron net; beneath it, flames begin to rise—an atmosphere of threat and moral tension.","item_prompts":["hunter with rugged attire","iron net (jāla)","fire lit beneath","brāhmaṇa sage facing him","sparks/smoke indicating escalation"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dynamic diagonals—net above, fire below; strong reds/oranges for flames; expressive faces showing tension.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central figures with ornate framing; stylized fire with gold highlights; iron net rendered as patterned lattice.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: detailed metalwork of the net; controlled flame depiction; emphasis on narrative clarity and gesture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside/forest setting; vivid but delicate flames; hunter and brāhmaṇa in sharp moral contrast through posture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Dramatic, foreboding","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"Medium-fast","voice_tone":"Firm, suspense-building, with weight on action verbs (कृत्वा… ददौ)"}
FAQs
It exemplifies a common Purāṇic narrative technique: embedding ethical vocabulary (e.g., dharmavit, hetumat) within a story scene, reflecting the didactic aims of Sanskrit purāṇa literature.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse fragment; the content focuses on dialogue and a described action (preparing an iron net and fire).
The verse foregrounds reasoned, direct speech (pratyakṣaṁ hetumat vacaḥ) as a standard for discourse, while narrating an action whose moral evaluation depends on the surrounding context in the chapter.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.