Varaha Purana 136.59 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 59

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

अन्धो भूत्वा ततो देवि जन्म चैवं प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥ एवं गत्वा तु संसारं वराहमांसप्रापणात्

Transliteration

andho bhūtvā tato devi janma caivaṁ pratiṣṭhitam || evaṁ gatvā tu saṁsāraṁ varāhamāṁsaprāpaṇāt

Translation

Dann, o Göttin, nachdem er blind geworden ist, wird seine Wiedergeburt auf diese Weise festgesetzt. So durchwandert er den Kreislauf der Wiedergeburten (Saṃsāra) als Folge des Erlangens von Eberfleisch.

Word by Word

• andhaḥ: blind

• bhūtvā: having become

• devi: O goddess

• janma: birth/rebirth

• evaṁ: thus

• pratiṣṭhitam: established/fixed

• saṁsāra: transmigratory existence

• varāha: boar

• māṁsa: flesh

• prāpaṇa/prāpti: obtaining/coming into possession

• -āt: because of/from

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"cosmic_power","boar_form_detail":"Varāha-meat (varāha-māṃsa) named as the causal transgression; consequence includes blindness and saṃsāra","earth_interaction":"Continues instructing ‘devī’ (Earth) about concrete embodied consequences of the taboo"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"distressed/concerned for beings; absorbing harsh consequences","key_question":"What specific embodied sufferings and life-course result from obtaining/consuming boar-flesh?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Obtaining/partaking in boar-flesh (in this Vaiṣṇava-Varāha frame) results in blindness and continued wandering in saṃsāra.","karmic_consequence":"Physical disability (blindness) in subsequent birth and prolonged transmigration; implied need for avoidance and purification."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Blindness functions as a moral-epistemic symbol: disrespect toward the divine form produces ‘avidyā-phala’—loss of sight/insight—binding one to saṃsāra.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Anti-yajña consequence: instead of ‘seeing’ the deity through proper worship, the offender loses sight; the ritual error becomes existential darkness.","vedantic_connection":"Avidyā and karma reinforce each other: sensory blindness mirrors inner ignorance; liberation requires right recognition of īśvara and disciplined conduct."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of food and reverence; karma-to-body mapping","core_concept":"Certain acts generate karmas that manifest as specific bodily limitations and prolonged bondage.","practical_application":"Practice dietary restraint aligned with one’s devotional commitments; cultivate compassion and purity to avoid karmas that harden into suffering."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma and Rebirth","Dietary Discipline"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: embodied/human-animal life cycle

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.62-63 (boar-meat offering and porcine rebirth); Varāha Purāṇa 136.61 (Naraka duration imagery)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cautionary tableau: a person who sought boar-flesh is shown reborn blind, guided by others, while the wheel of saṃsāra turns behind; Varāha narrates to Bhū-devī.","item_prompts":["Varāha speaking","Bhū-devī sorrowful listening","blind figure with staff/closed eyes","saṃsāra wheel motif","shadow of porcine association (subtle)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong narrative clarity—blind figure in foreground, saṃsāra wheel stylized; Varāha and Bhū-devī above as commentators.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold haloed Varāha; embossed wheel of life; blind devotee/sinner rendered with dramatic contrast; rich ornamentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: emotive but restrained—focus on the blind figure’s pathos; soft background wheel motif.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: tender, compassionate rendering of the blind rebirth scene in a village-like setting; distant cosmic wheel in the sky."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"lamenting admonition","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"somber, compassionate yet firm"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Dharma-śāstra Interface

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic ethical framework where bodily outcomes in later births are linked to prior actions, a common didactic strategy in late-classical Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic toponym appears in this verse; it is focused on karmic consequence rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Actions—here framed through food acquisition/consumption—are presented as ethically consequential, shaping future embodied experience.