Varaha Purana 70.23 — Adhyaya 70, Shloka 23
Nārāyaṇa as the Sacrificial Principle, Analysis of the Three Guṇas, and the Account of Delusion-Doctrines
यद्धीनं रजसा कर्म केवलं तामसं तु यत् । तद् दुर्गतिपरं नॄणामिह लोके परत्र च ॥ ७०.२३ ॥
yaddhīnaṃ rajasā karma kevalaṃ tāmasaṃ tu yat | tad durgatiparaṃ nṝṇām iha loke paratra ca || 70.23 ||
రజోగుణం లోపించిన కర్మ, అలాగే పూర్తిగా తామసమైన కర్మ—అవి మనుష్యులకు ఇహలోకంలోనూ పరలోకంలోనూ దుర్గతికి దారితీస్తాయి.
Varāha (default, instructor voice in Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
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":"None","instruction_summary":"Karma lacking proper rajas (initiative/discipline) and karma that is purely tāmasic lead humans to misfortune here and hereafter.","karmic_consequence":"Produces durgati: worldly decline (confusion, failure, disgrace) and post-mortem adverse destiny (lower births/hellish states per purāṇic idiom)."}
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":"guṇa-based moral psychology","core_concept":"Quality of action is determined by guṇas; tamas-dominant conduct drags the agent toward suffering across both visible and invisible horizons.","practical_application":"Reduce tamas (inertia, cruelty, intoxication, negligence) and cultivate disciplined rajas oriented toward sattva (order, cleanliness, study, service)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Philosophy of action (karma)","Guṇa theory"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: None
Related Themes: 70.70.22 (false ‘śāstra’); 70.70.24 (sattva as liberating)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic tableau contrasting tamasic darkness and the consequences of degraded action, with Varāha pointing toward the higher path.","item_prompts":["split composition: dark tamas side vs clearer side","Varāha’s instructive gesture","figures stumbling in shadow (durgati)","a path leading upward symbolizing better destiny"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: two-panel moral allegory; tamas shown as smoky blacks/browns; Varāha in center as teacher; stylized consequences without gore.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate central Varāha with gold halo; side vignette of ‘durgati’ in muted tones; emphasis on moral contrast via color and gold framing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant allegorical contrast; soft chiaroscuro for tamas; Varāha’s calm face; refined detailing of garments and gestures.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative miniature with hillside path; left valley in dusk (tamas), right in dawn (sattva); Varāha guiding with gentle authority."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"warning with ethical clarity","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"grave, slightly intensified on ‘durgati’ phrases"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic synthesis of ethical teaching with guṇa-theory (sattva–rajas–tamas), a conceptual framework widely shared with Sāṃkhya and later Dharma-śāstra discussions on evaluating human action.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it is a general ethical-philosophical statement about action and its consequences.
Actions characterized by deficiency in rajas (productive engagement) or dominated by tamas (inertia/delusion) are presented as leading to adverse outcomes for humans, affecting both present life and post-mortem consequence frameworks.
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