Varaha Purana 174.25: Adhyaya 174, Shloka 25
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
युष्माकमपि चाहारं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः ॥ प्रेता ऊचुः ॥ शृणु चाहारमस्माकं सर्वभूतदयापर
yuṣmākam api cāhāraṃ śrotum icchāmi tattvataḥ || pretā ūcuḥ || śṛṇu cāhāram asmākaṃ sarvabhūtadayāpara
ข้าพเจ้าปรารถนาจะฟังโดยแท้จริงถึงอาหารของพวกท่านด้วย. เหล่าเปรตกล่าวว่า: จงฟังอาหารของพวกเราเถิด โอ้ท่านผู้เปี่ยมด้วยเมตตาต่อสรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวง.
Pretāḥ (collective)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","key_question":"What is the true sustenance (āhāra) of pretas, and what does it reveal about compassion and moral responsibility of the living?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"The dialogue primes the śrāddha/compassion framework: the living should understand preta-dependence and respond through rites and charity.","karmic_consequence":"Compassionate support (śrāddha, piṇḍa, dāna) alleviates preta distress and yields merit; neglect intensifies suffering and accrues demerit."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dayā (universal compassion)","core_concept":"Compassion is measured by concern for unseen sufferers; knowledge of their condition should mature into supportive action.","practical_application":"Cultivate dayā in speech and practice; perform śrāddha/charity with sincerity; avoid ridicule of the afflicted."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Food culture","Compassion discourse"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: jijñāsā (inquisitive tone)
Type: liminal narrative setting
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 174.26 (food sustains all beings); Varāha Purāṇa 174.28 (speech-ethics critique begins)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brāhmaṇa asks the pretas about their food; the pretas respond respectfully, praising his compassion for all beings.","item_prompts":["group of pretas addressing a brāhmaṇa","gesture of respectful reply","contrast of luminous human realm vs shadowy preta forms","symbolic offering plate (piṇḍa) hinted"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, pretas in stylized darker tones, brāhmaṇa in warm tones, emphasis on compassionate gaze, simple ritual objects subtly present.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central brāhmaṇa with gold halo-like arch, pretas in side panels, gold accents on offering plate, formal narrative symmetry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, nuanced expressions, gentle compassion in brāhmaṇa face, pretas rendered with restraint, clear storytelling.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari, intimate conversational grouping, fine linework, twilight palette, small ritual plate motif near the brāhmaṇa."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"empathetic, narrative","suggested_raga":"Anandabhairavi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"soft but clear, compassionate"}
FAQs
The verse frames the next instruction through compassion (dayā) as a scholarly virtue, aligning ethical inquiry with concern for all beings—an important moral register in Purāṇic literature.
No geographic location is specified.
Ethical inquiry is linked with universal compassion; the dialogue positions dayā as the appropriate disposition for receiving knowledge about suffering and sustenance.
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