Varaha Purana 116.18 — Adhyaya 116, Shloka 18
An Exposition on the Causes of Happiness and Suffering
केचिद्विरूपा दृश्यन्ते ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ विद्वान्कृती गुणज्ञश्च सर्वशास्त्रविशारदः
kecid virūpā dṛśyante tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || vidvān kṛtī guṇajñaś ca sarva-śāstra-viśāradaḥ
کچھ لوگ بدصورت و بے ڈھنگے دکھائی دیتے ہیں—اس سے بڑھ کر دردناک کیا ہو سکتا ہے؟ (مگر کوئی) عالم، صاحبِ کمال، اوصاف شناس اور تمام شاستروں میں ماہر ہوتا ہے۔
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":"None","instruction_summary":"Varāha juxtaposes ill-formed bodies with the presence of a learned, accomplished, śāstra-skilled person, implying that true worth is grounded in guṇa and vidyā shaped by karma, not mere appearance.","karmic_consequence":"Pursuit of learning, discipline, and virtue yields honor and clarity; neglect of dharma and knowledge results in diminished capacities and social suffering."}
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":"guṇa-primacy over rūpa","core_concept":"Outer form (rūpa) is contingent, but cultivated qualities—learning, skill, discernment—constitute a higher human attainment and reflect accumulated saṃskāra.","practical_application":"Honor teachers and learning; invest in study and ethical practice; avoid judging beings by appearance; cultivate guṇa through daily discipline."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma","Education and Social Status"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 116 (didactic catalogue of karmic contrasts)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A contrast scene: an ill-formed person sits in hardship, while a learned scholar—calm, composed, holding manuscripts—stands as an emblem of cultivated guṇa; the moral is inner excellence over outer form.","item_prompts":["scholar with palm-leaf manuscripts (tāla-patra)","simple seat for the distressed figure","gesture of teaching/discernment","library/āśrama hints (water pot, deer-skin, low desk)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, scholar with stylized manuscripts and serene face; muted tones for the suffering figure; include symbolic lotus/halo to indicate wisdom.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold detailing on manuscripts and scholar’s halo; ornate frame; contrast with plain attire of the ill-formed figure.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, fine facial expressions; detailed manuscript bundle; gentle didactic atmosphere.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari, āśrama courtyard with scholar and a humble figure; delicate architecture and trees; narrative clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructive, serene","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, authoritative"}
FAQs
It juxtaposes bodily appearance with intellectual accomplishment, reflecting premodern Indian ethical discourse on visible and invisible forms of ‘fortune’.
No location is indicated.
To consider that human conditions differ widely; the text frames such differences within a moral-causal (karmic) narrative rather than pure chance.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.