Varaha Purana 174.29 — Adhyaya 174, Shloka 29
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
जातानां विहितानां च दुष्कृतं कर्म कुर्वताम् ॥ तेभ्यो दत्तं तदस्माकमुपतिष्ठति भोजने
jātānāṃ vihitānāṃ ca duṣkṛtaṃ karma kurvatām || tebhyo dattaṃ tad asmākam upatiṣṭhati bhojane
สำหรับผู้ที่แม้มีคุณสมบัติตามชาติกำเนิดและบทบัญญัติแห่งศาสตรา แต่กลับกระทำกรรมชั่ว สิ่งที่ให้แก่เขาย่อมมาปรากฏแก่เรา (คือเหล่าเปรต) เป็นอาหาร
Varāha (default 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":"dana","instruction_summary":"Even if one is ‘qualified’ by birth and injunction, if one performs duṣkṛta (wrongful acts), gifts given to such persons convert into preta-food (lost merit).","karmic_consequence":"Giving to adharmic ‘qualified’ persons fails to yield intended puṇya and instead accrues to pretas; discernment in pātratā is required beyond mere jāti/adhikāra."}
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":"dharma as conduct-centered","core_concept":"Ethical character (ācāra) overrides nominal qualification; karma reshapes the fruit of ritual acts.","practical_application":"Assess recipients by conduct and learning, not merely status; support sādhus and dhārmikas; avoid enabling wrongdoing through gifts."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Merit economy (dāna and consequence)","Ritual morality"]
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: social-ritual context
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 174.31 (apātra/vidhihīna dāna); Varāha Purāṇa 174.33 (preta petition begins)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A respected-looking recipient (externally qualified) shown performing or associated with wrongful acts; a donor’s gift transforms into shadowy ‘food’ for pretas nearby.","item_prompts":["donor offering cloth/food","recipient with sacred thread but dark aura","symbolic wrong deed in background (bribe, cruelty, intoxication)","pretas receiving the subtle essence"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: contrast bright dharmic symbols (yajñopavīta) with dark patterned aura; pretas at border consuming subtle vapors from the gift.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate recipient with sacred thread; gold-highlighted gift; dark pretas below as the ‘hidden’ beneficiary; strong iconographic contrast.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: psychological realism—recipient’s conflicted expression; fine detailing of ritual thread and gift; faint pretas in chiaroscuro.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: allegorical composition—gift’s essence as a pale stream flowing toward pretas; minimal horror, moral symbolism emphasized."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reflective yet warning","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, emphasizing ‘duṣkṛtaṃ karma’"}
FAQs
It illustrates a Purāṇic model where social/ritual qualification is insufficient without ethical conduct, and where giving is evaluated by recipient-worthiness.
No geographic location is named in this verse.
Ethical conduct is treated as essential; gifts given to wrongdoers are framed as spiritually misdirected.
Ask anything about this verse
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