Varaha Purana 8.23 — Adhyaya 8, Shloka 23
Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices
Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna
दृष्ट्वा व्रीहीन् सगोधूमान् धर्मव्याधो वरासनात् । उत्थाय गन्तुमारभे मतङ्गेन निवारितः ॥ ८.२३ ॥
dṛṣṭvā vrīhīn sa-godhūmān dharmavyādho varāsanāt | utthāya gantum ārabhe mataṅgena nivāritaḥ || 8.23 ||
گندم کے ساتھ چاول دیکھ کر، دھرم ویا دھا اپنی بہترین نشست سے اٹھ کر جانے لگا؛ لیکن متنگ نے اسے روک لیا।
Varāha (default narrative voice, speaker not explicit in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"A conscientious person may refuse food when the giver’s livelihood is tainted by harm; restraint in acceptance is part of ethical conduct.","karmic_consequence":"Accepting impure/violent-sourced food is implied to entangle one in the giver’s demerit; refusing preserves one’s moral clarity (śuddhi)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics (inner conscience)","core_concept":"True righteousness expresses itself as immediate bodily action—rising to leave—when conscience detects moral inconsistency.","practical_application":"When faced with ethically compromised hospitality, respond without aggression: withdraw respectfully, and be ready to explain your principle."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Narrative Literature","Social Conduct"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: assembly/guest-seat (varāsana)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 8.8.24 (Mataṅga questions the departure); Varāha Purāṇa 8.8.25 (explicit charge of mass killing)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Dharma-vyādha, after seeing the grains, rises from an honored seat to depart; Mataṅga reaches out or gestures to stop him.","item_prompts":["hunter rising from a fine seat (varāsana)","Mataṅga’s restraining hand/gesture","baskets of grains nearby","expressions: resolve vs. questioning","interior of hermitage/house"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dynamic gesture—Mataṅga’s palm raised in restraint; Dharma-vyādha mid-stand; bold contours, restrained palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate seat with gold accents; dramatic freeze-frame of rising; gold highlights on textiles; minimal background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant posture transition; subtle facial emotion; detailed textiles of the seat; soft lighting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative moment with flowing lines; expressive hands; warm domestic tones; baskets as bright color spots."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"tense but controlled","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, slightly urgent"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative strategy: ethical instruction is conveyed through exempla (model characters), here featuring the ‘dharma-vyādha’ and the sage Mataṅga, illustrating norms of conduct within story form.
No explicit geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it is situational (a seated setting and an attempted departure) rather than topographical.
The verse foregrounds restraint and counsel within interpersonal conduct: even when one is ready to act (to depart), a respected interlocutor (Mataṅga) may intervene, implying the value of deliberation and guidance in ethical decision-making.
Ask anything about this verse
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