Varaha Purana 208.37: Adhyaya 208, Shloka 37
Narration of the Exemplum of the Pativratā
Devoted Wife
कुद्दालेन हि काष्ठेन क्षेत्रं वै कुर्महे प्रिये ॥ ततो धर्मविधिं तत्त्वात्प्राप्नुयां मे न संशयः ।
kuddālena hi kāṣṭhena kṣetraṃ vai kurmahe priye || tato dharmavidhiṃ tattvāt prāpnuyāṃ me na saṃśayaḥ
ดูก่อนที่รัก เราใช้จอบและไม้ (เครื่องมืออย่างง่าย) ไถพรวนทุ่งนาแท้จริง แล้วจากนั้นโดยสัจจะ ข้าพเจ้าจะบรรลุระเบียบแห่งธรรมอันถูกต้อง—ข้าพเจ้าไม่สงสัยเลย
Rājā (King) (continued speech from v.41)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"Can simple, non-extractive agriculture using basic tools be a sufficient basis for attaining dharma in truth?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Earn livelihood through honest cultivation with simple implements; such self-reliant agrarian work is asserted to align with dharma when done rightly.","karmic_consequence":"Following it yields confidence in attaining dharma (merit and social order); implied opposite—dependence on coercion/luxury/excess—undermines dharmic standing."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The field-cultivation motif subtly mirrors Varāha’s cosmic ‘ploughing up’ of the Earth from chaos: dharma arises when humans cooperate with the earth through measured, tool-limited action rather than violent extraction.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Hoe/wooden implements as ‘yajña-tools’ of householders; the field as a yajña-vedi where sustenance is produced through disciplined action (karma) and restraint (niyama).","vedantic_connection":"Karma-yoga framing: right action (honest work) performed without excess supports sattva and social harmony; dharma is realized through aligned action rather than mere status."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of livelihood (ājīva-dharma)","core_concept":"Dharma can be grounded in simple, sustainable work; tools and methods matter—simplicity signals restraint and non-violence toward the earth.","practical_application":"Prefer low-impact, honest means of livelihood; reduce dependence on exploitative systems; treat land-use as a moral practice."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Agriculture","Environmental stewardship"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: kṣetra (cultivated land)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 208.41 (haviṣya discipline as context); Varāha Purāṇa 208.44-45 (queen’s challenge about existing resources)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king describes cultivating a field with only a hoe and wooden tools, presenting it as a path to dharma.","item_prompts":["simple hoe (kuddāla)","wooden plough/handle","small cultivated plot","king indicating tools","queen in the background listening"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized field scene with minimal tools, king in restrained royal attire, earthy greens and ochres, emphasis on dharmic calm.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic presentation of king holding/pointing to a hoe, gold accents on garments, field rendered symbolically with neat rows.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined agrarian vignette, soft landscape, detailed tool depiction, gentle didactic posture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside/riverine field with delicate lines, king and queen in a pavilion overlooking cultivation, emphasis on simplicity and nature."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic serenity","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, assured, grounded"}
FAQs
It connects dharma with agrarian labor and modest technology, useful for understanding how texts valorize subsistence work within ethical life.
No specific location is named; the setting is a generic ‘field’ (kṣetra).
The verse frames honest cultivation and self-sustaining labor as compatible with, and supportive of, dharma—an ethic of responsible livelihood.
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