Varaha Purana 68.3 — Adhyaya 68, Shloka 3
Dharma Across the Four Yugas, the Disruption of Social Conduct, and Ritual Purification from Varṇa-Mixing Transgressions
अगस्त्य उवाच । कृते युगे मही देवैर्भुज्यते वेदकर्मणा । यजद्भिरसुरैस्त्रेतां तद्वद् देवैश्च सत्तम ॥ ६८.३ ॥
agastya uvāca | kṛte yuge mahī devair bhujyate vedakarmaṇā | yajadbhir asurais tretāṃ tadvad devaiś ca sattama || 68.3 ||
อคัสตยะกล่าวว่า “ในกฤตยุค แผ่นดินได้รับการค้ำจุนและอุดมด้วยพิธีกรรมตามพระเวทโดยเหล่าเทวะ ในเตรตายุค โดยเหล่าอสูรผู้ประกอบยัญ—และโดยเหล่าเทวะด้วยเช่นกัน โอผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่สัตบุรุษ”
Agastya
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"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":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"In Kṛta and Tretā, the Earth’s prosperity is sustained through Vedic sacrificial action (veda-karman), performed by qualified beings (devas; and in Tretā even asuras who sacrifice).","karmic_consequence":"Performance of yajña sustains cosmic order and earthly flourishing; neglect of Vedic duty implies decline of prosperity and order (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Earth’s ‘enjoyment’ (bhujyate) through veda-karman underscores yajña as the cosmic mechanism by which the world is upheld—anticipating the Purāṇic idea of the Lord as yajña and the cosmos as sacrifice-field.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: Earth as yajña-bhūmi; prosperity as yajña-phala; devas/asuras as adhvaryu-like agents sustaining order through offerings.","vedantic_connection":"Karma-kāṇḍa as a provisional support for loka-saṅgraha; behind ritual efficacy stands the all-pervading īśvara who receives/grounds sacrifice."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmology of action (yajña sustains loka)","core_concept":"Ritual action aligned with Veda functions as a stabilizing principle for the world; even rival powers (asuras) can uphold order when they sacrifice.","practical_application":"Honor disciplined, self-offering action (yajña-spirit) as a means of sustaining community and environment; translate yajña into ethical giving and duty in later ages."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta (cosmic order)
Type: cosmic/ritual landscape
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 68.68 (sequence of yuga characteristics)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Agastya explains that in Kṛta the gods sustain Earth through Vedic rites, and in Tretā even sacrificing asuras participate, with Earth flourishing as the ritual field.","item_prompts":["Agastya with kamaṇḍalu and japa-mālā","yajña-kuṇḍa with flames","devas offering oblations","asuras also offering (non-hostile, ritual posture)","Earth depicted as a fertile goddess/landscape receiving blessings"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Agastya foreground; broad yajña scene with devas and asuras symmetrically offering; Earth as verdant landscape-goddess; rich reds and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Agastya with gold halo; gilded fire altar; devas/asuras in ornate jewelry; Earth motif as gold-embossed lotus-ground.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant sacrificial pavilion; detailed ritual implements (sruk, sruva); balanced composition showing both devas and asuras performing rites.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: miniature-style yajña in a clearing; Agastya seated to the side narrating; soft mountains; Earth as blooming terrain."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"expository, steady","suggested_raga":"Kedar (ritual serenity)","pace":"medium, rhythmic like a ritual chant","voice_tone":"calm, authoritative"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic yuga-framework in which social and cosmic stability is linked to ritual action (veda-karman), presenting a schematic history of moral-ritual order across ages.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it discusses Earth (mahī) in a general cosmological sense rather than a particular sacred site.
The verse foregrounds the principle that prosperity and orderly enjoyment of the Earth are connected to disciplined sacrificial practice and adherence to established ritual-ethical norms within the yuga cycle.
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