Varaha Purana 136.35 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 35
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
विष्णो तत्त्वेन मे ब्रूहि शोधनं पापनाशनम् ॥ येन वै कृतमात्रेण शुद्धो मुच्येत किल्बिषात्
viṣṇo tattvena me brūhi śodhanaṃ pāpanāśanam || yena vai kṛtamātreṇa śuddho mucyeta kilbiṣāt
«يا فيشنو، أخبرني بالحق عن التطهير الذي يُفني الخطيئة؛ ذاك الذي إذا أُنجز ولو مرةً واحدة صار المرء طاهرًا وتحرّر من الإثم.»
Śiva (Rudra/Hara) (requesting instruction)
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":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"What single, truly effective purification (śodhana) destroys sin so that even one performance frees one from kílbiṣa (wrongdoing/taint)?"}
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":"Request for a definitive expiation/purificatory act that eradicates sin and grants release from moral taint even if done once.","karmic_consequence":"If such śodhana is performed, one becomes śuddha and is freed from kílbiṣa; if neglected, the taint of pāpa persists and obstructs liberation-oriented purity."}
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":"soteriology/ethics","core_concept":"Purity is treated as a transformative condition tied to release from moral taint; the seeker asks for an efficacious means (upāya) rather than mere theory.","practical_application":"Approach a competent instructor and undertake prescribed prāyaścitta/śodhana with sincerity, aiming at inner purification rather than social display."}
Subject Matter: ["Purification discourse (śodhana)","Ethics and remedial practice","Soteriological language"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.39-43 (instruction toward śmaśāna as the ‘samala’ locus for expiation)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Śiva, humbled and intent, petitions Viṣṇu for a one-act purification that annihilates sin and grants freedom from wrongdoing.","item_prompts":["Śiva with folded hands (añjali)","Viṣṇu seated as teacher","aura of solemn inquiry","scroll or palm-leaf indicating ‘tattva’ teaching"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Viṣṇu as serene guru with ornate crown; Śiva in ascetic form with matted hair, añjali; warm earthy palette; temple-like interior.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Viṣṇu with gold-leaf halo and jewelry; Śiva kneeling in reverence; embossed ornaments; minimal background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework, soft shading; intimate guru-śiṣya composition; calm facial expressions emphasizing śānta rasa.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hillside-ashram setting; delicate faces; Śiva asking with humility; Viṣṇu gesturing instruction; cool, lyrical tones."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn inquiry and doctrinal gravity","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, reverent, didactic"}
FAQs
It illustrates the Purāṇic genre’s practical orientation: doctrinal statements are followed by requests for concrete remedial procedures framed as universally efficacious.
None is named in this verse.
Accountability is paired with repair: the verse foregrounds purification as a response to acknowledged harm.
Ask anything about this verse
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