Varaha Purana 6.23: Adhyaya 6, Shloka 23
The Puṇḍarīkākṣapāraka Hymn and Puṣkara Tīrtha: The Account of King Vasu’s Release from Sin
Pūrva Bhāga · Narrative Episode (Ascetic Encounter / Disguise Motif)
तत्र त्वया अन्यकामेन मृगवेषधरो मुनिः । दण्डयुग्मेन दूरे तु पातितो धरणीतले ॥ ६.२३ ॥
tatra tvayā anyakāmena mṛgaveṣadharo muniḥ | daṇḍayugmena dūre tu pātito dharaṇītale || 6.23 ||
tatra tvayA.anyakAmena mRRigaveShadharo muniH | daNDayugmena dUre tu pAtito dharaNItale || 6.23 ||
అక్కడ, ఇతర కోరికచేత ప్రేరితుడై, నీవు మృగవేషధారిగా ఉన్న మునిని దూరం నుండే రెండు దండాలతో కొట్టి, భూమిపై పడవేసితివి।
Sandhi Notes
- त्वया अन्यकामेन = त्वया + अन्यकामेन (sandhi optional, kept separate)
- धरणीतले = धरणी-तले (समास)
Varāha
What happens when desire (anyākāma) overrides discernment, causing harm to an ascetic under disguise?
Kāma clouds prajñā; misperception plus haste becomes sin when it injures the innocent.
Pause before punitive action; verify identity and intent, especially where vulnerable or holy persons may be present.
A ruler must exercise viveka before striking; harming a muni/brāhmaṇa—even inadvertently, even in disguise—constitutes grave adharma and demands accountability.
Careless violence driven by desire accrues heavy pāpa and precipitates fear of brahmahatyā, leading to compulsory expiation.
Varāha Purāṇa 6.6.24 (death and mistaken joy); Varāha Purāṇa 6.6.26 (fear of brahmahatyā → prāyaścitta)
FAQs
It illustrates a common Purāṇic narrative device—an ascetic or sage in disguise—and frames ethical causality around intention (kāma) and the consequences of violence or rash action in classical Sanskrit literature.
No specific toponym is given in this verse; it references only a general setting (“there”) and the ground (“dharaṇītala”), so a precise modern identification is not possible from this fragment alone.
The verse foregrounds intention-driven action (“anyakāma”) as ethically consequential, implying that actions motivated by ulterior desire can lead to harm, even against a concealed or unrecognized figure.
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