Varaha Purana 136.6 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 6

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

चतुर्थभक्तमाहारमाकाशशयने स्वपेत् ॥ दीपं दत्त्वापराधाद्वै तरन्ति मनुजा भुवि

Transliteration

caturtha-bhaktam āhāram ākāśa-śayane svapet | dīpaṁ dattvāparādhād vai taranti manujā bhuvi ||

Translation

Man nehme Nahrung nur als «vierte Mahlzeit» zu sich und schlafe auf einem ungeschützten Lager unter freiem Himmel. Durch das Darbringen einer Lampe überschreiten die Menschen auf Erden das Vergehen.

Word by Word

• caturtha-bhaktam: fourth-meal regimen (restricted eating)

• āhāram: food/intake

• ākāśa-śayane: on an open-air bed/unsheltered sleeping place

• svapet: should sleep

• dīpam: a lamp

• dattvā: having given

• aparādhāt: from the offence

• vai: indeed

• taranti: cross over

• manujāḥ: humans

• bhuvi: on earth

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Normative instruction within the Varāha–Bhū teaching frame; no physical contact described"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"What austerity and gift remove ‘aparādha’ and lead to crossing beyond fault?"}

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":"dana","instruction_summary":"Practice restrained eating (caturtha-bhakta) and sleep under open sky; give a lamp as dāna to overcome offenses.","karmic_consequence":"Lamp-gift with austerity becomes a means of aparādha-kṣaya; disregard sustains the burden of fault."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Dīpa-dāna associated Dvādaśī discipline (austerity + lamp-gift)","tithi_month":"Implied continuation from Śukla Dvādaśī (any month)","promised_fruit":"Crossing beyond offense (aparādha) and its worldly consequences"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The lamp signifies jñāna/light that dispels pāpa; austerity disciplines the senses—together mirroring inner yajña where ignorance is offered into the fire of awareness.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Dīpa as miniature agni; open-sky sleeping evokes ‘ākāśa’ as witness-space; restrained food as oblation-measure (āhuti-mātra).","vedantic_connection":"Light as ātma-jyotis metaphor; aparādha-kṣaya through sattva-śuddhi enabling clearer recognition of dharma and devotion."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethical asceticism","core_concept":"Self-restraint (niyama) plus generous giving (dāna) transforms karmic residue into clarity and merit.","practical_application":"Adopt measured eating, simplify comforts, and offer lamp-gift with repentance and devotion."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Practice"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: vīra

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.5 (Dvādaśī timing); Varāha Purāṇa 136.7 (purity and proper procedure); Varāha Purāṇa 136.8–136.9 (impurity contact and consequence)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee performs austerity—reduced meals and sleeping under the open sky—then offers a glowing lamp as dāna to remove offense.","item_prompts":["oil lamp with steady flame","simple bedding under stars","ascetic posture","offering gesture (dāna)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: night sky with stylized stars, devotee offering lamp before a Vaiṣṇava emblem, warm flame contrast.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate lamp with gold highlights, donor figure with minimal attire, dramatic flame and halo-like glow.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined lamp details, calm nocturnal palette, emphasis on disciplined simplicity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: hillside night scene, small lamp illuminating faces, gentle narrative intimacy."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"austere-instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm, penitential, steady"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Gift-Economy (Dāna)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents a characteristic Purāṇic pairing of austerity (tapas-like restraint) with gifting (dāna), a common ethical technology for remediation.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific location is named; the practice is described as applicable ‘on earth’ (bhuvi).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

That disciplined restraint and the donation of a lamp are presented as practical means for mitigating a defined ritual offence.