Varaha Purana 39.18 — Adhyaya 39, Shloka 18
Discrimination of the Three Bodies and the Dharaṇī Vow: A Manual for Dvādaśī Observance
वित्तेन च विना दानं दातुं विप्र न शक्यते । विद्यमानेऽपि न मतिः कुटुम्बासक्तचेतसः । तस्य मोक्षः कथं ब्रह्मन् सर्वथा दुर्लभो हरिः ॥ ३९.१८ ॥
vittena ca vinā dānaṃ dātuṃ vipra na śakyate | vidyamāne 'pi na matiḥ kuṭumbāsaktacetasaḥ | tasya mokṣaḥ kathaṃ brahman sarvathā durlabho hariḥ || 39.18 ||
หากไร้ทรัพย์ โอ้พราหมณ์ ย่อมให้ทานไม่ได้ และแม้มีทรัพย์อยู่ ผู้ที่จิตติดพันครอบครัวก็ไม่เกิดเจตนาแห่งทาน แล้วเขาจะได้โมกษะอย่างไรเล่า โอ้พรหมัน? สำหรับเขา พระหริย่อมยากจะเข้าถึงโดยประการทั้งปวง
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"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":"Dāna depends on wealth, but even with wealth it fails when the mind is bound by family-attachment; such attachment obstructs mokṣa and makes Hari hard to attain.","karmic_consequence":"Following: cultivating generosity and non-attachment supports liberation; Breaking: clinging to kuṭumba and withholding giving entrenches bondage and delays access to Hari."}
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":"ethics-to-mokṣa bridge","core_concept":"External means (wealth) are insufficient without inner transformation; attachment (āsakti) is the real impediment to dāna and mokṣa.","practical_application":"Practice intentional giving within one’s means and cultivate non-possessiveness (aparigraha/tyāga) even as a householder; train the mind away from exclusive family-centered clinging."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Mokṣa (Liberation)","Householder Psychology","Dāna (Gift-giving)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vairāgya
Type: None
Related Themes: 39.39.17 (yajña’s dependence on wealth); 39.39.19 (request for low-effort universal means)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha (as divine teacher) explains to a brāhmaṇa that lack of wealth blocks giving, and even wealth fails when the mind is tied to family—making Hari difficult to reach.","item_prompts":["divine teacher seated, instructive hand gesture","listener brāhmaṇa with folded hands","household symbols (spouse/children silhouette, granary, coins) subtly behind the listener","contrast motif: coins present but hand withheld"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dignified divine instructor with calm authority, stylized household backdrop indicating attachment, muted but rich palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: teacher figure with gold highlights, symbolic coins and household items rendered ornamentally, moral gravity emphasized through posture.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined expressions—teacher compassionate yet firm; listener conflicted; minimal props indicating family-attachment.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative vignette—teacher under a tree, house in distance, listener looking back toward home, conveying āsakti vs mokṣa tension."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and sobering","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, compassionate, admonitory"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic ethical discourse: the practical conditions for dāna (resources and intention) and how household attachment can obstruct soteriological aims, situating morality within a broader liberation-oriented framework.
No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse; it is a general ethical and philosophical statement rather than a tīrtha- or place-focused passage.
The verse distinguishes material capacity from moral intention: wealth enables giving, but attachment to household life can inhibit the disposition to give; such attachment is presented as an obstacle to liberation and to attaining Hari (Viṣṇu).
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