Varaha Purana 165.46: Adhyaya 165, Shloka 46
The Glory of Mathurā: The Account of Piṇḍa-Offering at the Catuḥsāmudrika Well
प्रेत उवाच ॥ कथितं हि मया पूर्वं यद्वृत्तं हि पुरातनम् ॥ वाचकाय तु यद्दत्तं सुवर्णस्य च माषकम्
preta uvāca || kathitaṃ hi mayā pūrvaṃ yadvṛttaṃ hi purātanam || vācakāya tu yad dattaṃ suvarṇasya ca māṣakam
เปรตกล่าวว่า: “เรากล่าวไว้ก่อนแล้วถึงเรื่องโบราณที่เกิดขึ้น คือได้มอบมาษกะทองคำหนึ่งแก่ผู้สาธยาย”
Preta
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Even a small, properly directed gift (here, a māṣaka of gold) to a reciter of sacred narrative is treated as meritorious ritual patronage.","karmic_consequence":"Such patronage accrues punya that can later support the donor (even post-mortem) and becomes a cause for relief from suffering states."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-hetu (causality of action)","core_concept":"Seemingly minor acts, when aligned with dharma (supporting dharma-kathā/recitation), become enduring causal seeds.","practical_application":"Support teachers/reciters and dharmic transmission according to capacity; do not dismiss ‘small’ gifts as spiritually insignificant."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative Dialogue","Ritual Patronage"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 165.52 (fruit of the gift); Varāha Purāṇa 165.54 (remedial act leading to release)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A preta narrates an old episode, emphasizing a small gold coin offered to a sacred reciter seated in a storytelling assembly.","item_prompts":["preta figure (subtle, non-horror)","reciter (vācaka) with palm-leaf manuscript","small gold māṣaka/coin in hand","listening audience","lamp or ritual setting for kathā"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural palette; dignified preta as a thin, ethereal figure; vācaka seated on a low wooden seat with manuscript; warm oil-lamp glow; temple-hall ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore composition with central vācaka haloed; gold-leaf emphasis on the coin and ornaments; subdued preta at the side in reverent posture; architectural arch framing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style with delicate linework; expressive faces; coin exchange moment; calm narrative court/assembly setting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature with intimate indoor kathā scene; stylized coin; soft hills/architecture hinted; preta rendered as pale translucent attendant-like figure."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic-narrative, reflective","suggested_raga":"Yaman (for calm instruction)","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, story-telling clarity with gentle gravity"}
FAQs
It provides an explicit speech marker (preta uvāca) and reiterates the economy of patronage around recitation, a key feature of Purāṇic dissemination.
No location is named in this verse.
Even small acts of support to cultural-religious labor (recitation) are framed as ethically meaningful within the narrative logic.
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