Varaha Purana 174.24: Adhyaya 174, Shloka 24
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
यदि ते श्रवणे श्रद्धा पृच्छ चान्यद्यदिच्छसि ॥ ब्राह्मण उवाच ॥ ये जीवा भुवि तिष्ठन्ति सर्व आहारजीविनः
yadi te śravaṇe śraddhā pṛccha cānyad yad icchasi || brāhmaṇa uvāca || ye jīvā bhuvi tiṣṭhanti sarva āhārajīvinaḥ
หากท่านมีศรัทธาในการสดับฟังนี้ ก็จงถามสิ่งอื่นใดตามที่ปรารถนาเถิด. พราหมณ์กล่าวว่า: สรรพชีวิตที่ดำรงอยู่บนแผ่นดิน ล้วนยังชีพด้วยอาหารทั้งสิ้น.
Brāhmaṇa
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","key_question":"What sustains beings on earth, and (by implication) what sustains pretas—i.e., what is the ethical economy of food?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"All beings are food-dependent; therefore food-giving (anna-dāna) and right livelihood around food become central ethical duties.","karmic_consequence":"Proper food-ethics and anna-dāna support welfare and merit; neglect and cruelty around food lead to demerit and suffering states."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"anthropology of sustenance","core_concept":"Āhāra is the shared condition of embodied life; ethics begins with how one obtains, shares, and sanctifies food.","practical_application":"Practice mindful eating, non-harm in procurement, hospitality, and regular anna-dāna; treat food as sacred trust."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Food culture","Anthropology of giving"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: jijñāsā (inquisitive tone)
Type: conceptual/anthropological frame
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 174.27 (question about preta-āhāra)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brāhmaṇa, attentive and composed, invites further questions and begins a teaching: ‘all beings on earth live by food.’","item_prompts":["brāhmaṇa teacher seated with palm-leaf manuscript","gesture of invitation to ask","simple hermitage setting","symbolic bowl of food/anna"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, brāhmaṇa in calm teaching posture, warm ochres, minimal props, a small anna-bowl motif, serene didactic ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, brāhmaṇa as central figure with ornate arch, gold highlights on manuscript and vessel, symmetrical composition conveying authority.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, refined scholar figure, soft colors, detailed manuscript, gentle light, emphasis on calm instruction.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari, veranda/āśrama scene, delicate landscape, brāhmaṇa and listeners in quiet dialogue, fine detailing of manuscript and vessel."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, calm","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, instructive"}
FAQs
It marks a thematic shift from karmic naming to a broader inquiry into sustenance, reflecting Purāṇic interest in everyday ethics (food, giving, dependence).
None; “bhuvi” refers generally to the earth/world.
It foregrounds the universal dependency on food, setting up an ethical discussion about provision, sharing, and consequences of consumption.
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