Varaha Purana 128.91 — Adhyaya 128, Shloka 91
Rites for the comb, collyrium, and mirror; initiations for the four social orders; and the Gaṇāntikā vow/insignia
ममैव शरणं गत्वा इमं मन्त्रमुदाहरेत् ॥ मन्त्रः— शूद्रोऽहं शूद्रकर्माणि मुक्त्वाऽभक्ष्यं च सर्वशः ॥
mamaiva śaraṇaṃ gatvā imaṃ mantram udāharet || mantraḥ— śūdro'haṃ śūdrakarmāṇi muktvā'bhakṣyaṃ ca sarvaśaḥ ||
بعد أن يتخذ المرء ملجأه فيّ وحدي، فليتْلُ هذا المانترا: «أنا شُودرا؛ وقد تركت أعمال الشودرا، وتخلّيت كليًّا عن كل ما يحرم أكله…».
Varāha (instructor; implied)
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":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Take exclusive refuge in Varāha and recite a self-confessional mantra renouncing improper conduct and forbidden foods as a step toward purification.","karmic_consequence":"Following: purification through śaraṇāgati plus ethical renunciation; Breaking/ignoring: continued impurity and karmic bondage through prohibited acts (esp. abhakṣya-bhojana and adharmic livelihood)."}
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":"bhakti-ethics / śaraṇāgati","core_concept":"Spiritual transformation begins with surrender to the Lord and honest self-assessment, followed by concrete abandonment of adharmic habits.","practical_application":"Use the mantra as a vow of reform: explicitly renounce forbidden foods and harmful occupations; pair recitation with measurable lifestyle change and sat-saṅga."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Practice","Social Categories"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa bhāgavata-mantra/prāyaścitta passages that pair mantra with ācāra reform
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as compassionate instructor receives a penitent devotee who declares humility (‘I am a śūdra’) and vows to abandon forbidden food and degrading conduct; the mood is reformative, not punitive.","item_prompts":["Varāha seated as guru","devotee with folded hands (añjali) in penitence","mantra text on palm-leaf or scroll","symbolic discarded items: meat/wine/forbidden foods set aside","purification vessel (kalaśa) or water-pot"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha-guru with calm authority; penitent figure in añjali; muted tones; small still-life of renounced foods at the margin; emphasis on compassion and discipline.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold haloed Varāha; devotee kneeling; ornate scroll with mantra; bright but solemn palette; minimal background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined courtly interior; subtle expressions of remorse and grace; detailed palm-leaf manuscript; soft lighting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside āśrama setting; intimate teacher-disciple exchange; small symbolic ‘abhakṣya’ items painted as narrative cues."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"penitential-devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, earnest, reformative"}
FAQs
It reflects how Purāṇic literature sometimes frames ethical reform and ritual eligibility through self-declaration and renunciation, offering evidence for evolving social-religious practices.
No geographic location is mentioned in this excerpt.
The core instruction is renunciation of improper conduct (including prohibited consumption) framed through a vow-like mantra.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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.