Varaha Purana 200.64 — Adhyaya 200, Shloka 64
Description of the Forms of Infernal Torments
Naraka Yātanās
सुवर्णहर्ता च नरो ब्रह्मघ्नेन समो हि सः ॥ क्वचिच्चात्र विरूपाणां नराणां पापकर्मिणाम् ॥
suvarṇahartā ca naro brahmaghnena samo hi saḥ || kvacic cātra virūpāṇāṁ narāṇāṁ pāpakarmiṇām
And a person who steals gold is indeed equal to a slayer of a brāhmaṇa. Here and there, among people who commit sin, there are those who are deformed (as a result).
Varāha (default framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Suvarṇa-haraṇa (gold theft) is declared pāpa-sāmya with brahmahatyā; sinful acts can yield bodily deformity as karmic mark.","karmic_consequence":"Gold theft incurs consequences comparable to brahmin-slaying, including severe suffering and deformed rebirth; honesty and restitution/expiation mitigate karmic fallout."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethical proportionality (pāpa-sāmya)","core_concept":"Not all harms are measured by outward violence; theft of sacred/valued substance (gold) can be spiritually as catastrophic as direct killing, due to its social-ritual disruption.","practical_application":"Practice asteya (non-stealing), especially regarding wealth used for yajña/dāna; cultivate contentment and transparent livelihood."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma and consequence","Normative equivalences (pāpa-sāmya)"]
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 200.68-69 (mahāpātaka markers); Varāha Purāṇa 200.71-72 (torment imagery that follows)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moral courtroom-like scene: Varāha pronounces equivalence between gold theft and brahmahatyā; a thief is shown clutching gold, while another figure bears deformity as karmic outcome.","item_prompts":["Varāha as judge/teacher","gold ornaments/coins in the thief’s hands","gesture of prohibition","a deformed figure in the background (limb asymmetry)","balance scale motif to suggest equivalence"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: bold gold objects contrasted with earthy tones; Varāha’s halo; stylized deformity; symmetrical composition with didactic clarity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavy gold-leaf emphasis on stolen gold and deity’s ornaments; embossed textures; thief smaller, hunched; iconic moral contrast.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant rendering of gold sheen; restrained deformity depiction; calm but serious ambience.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative vignette with a small pile of gold; expressive thief; Varāha pointing; minimal architecture backdrop."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"judicial, warning","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"deep, authoritative"}
FAQs
Equating gold theft with brahmin-slaying reflects a broader Sanskrit normative tradition that ranks transgressions and sometimes asserts equivalences, aiding comparative studies with Dharma-śāstra materials.
No geographic location is specified.
The passage underscores the gravity of theft (especially of valued goods like gold) and frames certain acts as comparably severe within a karmic-ethical hierarchy.
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