Varaha Purana 136.57 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 57

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

यावत् तत्तनुसंस्थं तु भजते तु प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥ तावत्स पतते देवि सौकरीं योनिमास्थितः

Transliteration

yāvat tattanusaṃsthaṃ tu bhajate tu pratiṣṭhitam || tāvat sa patate devi saukarīṃ yonim āsthitaḥ

Translation

ما دام ذلك ثابتًا في جسده، فبمثل تلك المدة يسقط، أيتها الإلهة، وقد اتخذ رحمًا شبيهًا برحم الخنزيرة (ولادة في جنس الخنازير).

Word by Word

• yāvat: as long as

• tat-tanu-saṃstham: situated in that body/in his body

• tu: indeed

• bhajate: experiences/partakes/undergoes

• pratiṣṭhitam: established

• tāvat: for that long

• sa: he

• patate: falls

• devi: O Goddess (voc.)

• saukarīm: porcine/sow-like

• yonim: womb/birth

• āsthitaḥ: having assumed/entered

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"cosmic_power","boar_form_detail":"Saukari yoni (sow/porcine womb) explicitly invoked as karmic destination tied to Varāha-meat transgression","earth_interaction":"Addresses ‘devi’ (Earth) while explaining embodied karmic residue and rebirth"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"concerned/reflective; receiving explanation of karmic mechanics affecting beings on her body","key_question":"How long does the karmic taint persist, and what form of rebirth does it cause?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"narakas","instruction_summary":"As long as the sinful residue remains lodged in the body, the offender repeatedly falls into degraded birth—specifically a porcine womb.","karmic_consequence":"Sustained bondage to low rebirth (yoni) proportional to persistence of the taint; continued ‘falling’ (patana) until exhaustion/purification."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Misrecognition of the divine boar leads to literalization: the offender is ‘matched’ to the profaned symbol by karmic correspondence—becoming boar-like.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Negative mirror of Yajña-Varāha: instead of elevating through sacred symbolism, the act drags the jīva into the animal sign it abused.","vedantic_connection":"Karma as saṃskāra embedded in the subtle body: ‘tanusamstha’ suggests lingering impressions; liberation requires purification and right knowledge/devotion."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma theory (saṃskāra and embodiment)","core_concept":"Sin persists as an embodied imprint; until it is exhausted/removed, it compels corresponding births.","practical_application":"Avoid generating heavy pāpa; seek purification (prāyaścitta, sāttvika conduct, devotion) to prevent long-lasting saṃskāras."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Cosmology"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic/biological cycle

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.62 (boar-meat offering); Varāha Purāṇa 136.65 (blindness and continued saṃsāra)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha explains karmic persistence; a human figure is shown descending through successive births, culminating in a sow’s womb imagery (symbolic, not explicit).","item_prompts":["Varāha teaching","Bhū-devī listening","falling motif (descending steps)","porcine silhouette representing ‘saukari yoni’","subtle aura/taint clinging to the body"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong narrative band showing descent into animal form; stylized sow icon; Varāha and Bhū-devī in the main panel with bold outlines.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central gold Varāha; side medallions showing human-to-animal transformation sequence; ornate borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: restrained allegory—shadowy porcine form behind the sinner; emphasis on moral lesson.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: delicate metamorphosis narrative with expressive faces; soft landscape indicating the wheel of births."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"stern karmic exposition","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"grave, resonant"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Karmic Rebirth Motifs
• Purāṇic Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It demonstrates how Purāṇic texts encode moral instruction using rebirth typologies (yoni) and embodied 'taint' metaphors.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic reference occurs; the verse is cosmological-ethical (yoni/gati) rather than topographical.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Certain actions are portrayed as producing lingering consequences that shape rebirth; the verse warns against those causes.