Shloka 19
An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering
दरिद्रो जायते दाता ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ द्विभार्यः पुरुषो यस्तु तयोरेकां प्रशंसति
daridro jāyate dātā tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || dvibhāryaḥ puruṣo yas tu tayor ekāṃ praśaṃsati
Ang mapagkaloob ay isinisilang na dukha—ano pa ang higit na masakit kaysa rito? At ang lalaking may dalawang asawa ay pinupuri lamang ang isa sa kanila.
Varāha (default, instructional voice)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"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":"Varāha highlights two pains: a donor being born poor (karmic reversal) and a polygynous husband praising only one wife—teaching that dāna must be joined with right intention and that household dharma requires fairness and non-partiality.","karmic_consequence":"Dāna with humility and proper recipients yields prosperity and good repute; dāna done for pride or with harm, and domestic partiality/adharma, ripen as poverty, discord, and suffering in family life."}
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 of intention and relational dharma","core_concept":"Merit is shaped not only by the act (dāna) but by intention and context; relational partiality (favoritism) is adharma that generates suffering despite outward prosperity.","practical_application":"Give regularly without ego and with discernment; in family life, practice impartiality, truthful speech, and emotional responsibility to prevent harm."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma","Social Relations"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bībhatsa
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 116 (catalogue of ‘tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim’ moral contrasts)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moral domestic scene: a poor yet generous person offering alms, contrasted with a household where a man with two wives publicly praises one, leaving the other distressed—illustrating karmic irony and relational adharma.","item_prompts":["alms-giving scene (small pot/coins/food)","poor donor’s simple clothing","two wives with contrasting expressions (favored vs neglected)","husband’s gesture of praise and the other wife’s sorrow"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, narrative split composition; expressive faces for favoritism and sorrow; warm earth palette; subtle divine witness motif to frame dharma.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold highlights on household ornaments and the praised wife’s attire; the neglected wife in subdued tones; donor scene with minimal gold to emphasize humility.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, refined domestic interior; nuanced emotion in faces; balanced moral storytelling without caricature.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature, palace-courtyard domestic vignette for the two wives; separate small panel for the poor donor giving alms; delicate lines and cool-warm contrast."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"serious, socially admonitory","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"grave, compassionate, corrective"}
FAQs
It preserves moral reflections on perceived injustice (a generous person being poor) and on domestic partiality, both common themes in didactic literature.
No geographic location is referenced.
To observe that outcomes may appear paradoxical (generosity with poverty) and that partiality within relationships is a source of suffering.