Varaha Purana 136.78 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 78

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

तस्य वक्ष्यामि सुश्रोणि प्रायश्चित्तं महौजसम् ॥ येन गच्छति संसारं मम भक्तो व्यवस्थितः ॥

Transliteration

tasya vakṣyāmi suśroṇi prāyaścittaṃ mahaujasam | yena gacchati saṃsāraṃ mama bhakto vyavasthitaḥ ||

Translation

Für diesen Fall werde ich, o Schönhüftige, eine machtvolle Sühne darlegen; durch sie überschreitet mein Verehrer, fest in der Zucht, das Umherirren im Saṃsāra.

Word by Word

• tasya: for that/of him

• vakṣyāmi: I shall tell

• suśroṇi: O fair-hipped woman (epithet)

• prāyaścitta: expiation

• mahaujas: of great power/effect

• yena: by which

• gacchati: goes/passes

• saṃsāra: transmigratory existence

• mama bhakta: my devotee

• vyavasthita: steady/firmly established

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha reassures Bhū-devī (suśroṇi) that he will prescribe a potent prāyaścitta enabling his devotee to transcend saṃsāra."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"hopeful, seeking remedy and release for devotees","key_question":"What expiation is strong enough to neutralize the fault and help the devotee cross beyond saṃsāra?"}

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":"A specific ‘mahaujasa’ prāyaścitta is to be undertaken so the devotee becomes steady and can pass beyond saṃsāra.","karmic_consequence":"Proper expiation restores spiritual standing and supports liberation-oriented progress; neglect leaves one bound to repeated wandering."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Aṣṭabhakta-related prāyaścitta (detailed in the following verse)","tithi_month":"Māgha, Śukla Dvādaśī (as specified next)","promised_fruit":"Passing beyond saṃsāra for the steadfast devotee (soteriological fruit)."}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Varāha as the divine ‘uplifter’ who raises beings from the mire of saṃsāra; prāyaścitta becomes a ritual analogue of being lifted from impurity to steadiness (vyavasthiti).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit: the Lord as the power that makes rites efficacious; expiation as re-alignment of the sacrificer with ṛta/dharma.","vedantic_connection":"Grace (anugraha) working through disciplined action: karma-yoga purified by bhakti becomes a means toward freedom from saṃsāra."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"soteriology via discipline and grace","core_concept":"Steady devotion plus prescribed expiation can convert fault into purification and orient the practitioner beyond saṃsāra.","practical_application":"Adopt corrective vows with consistency (niyama), maintain bhakti, and treat prāyaścitta as inner reform rather than mere penalty."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Prāyaścitta","Karma and Rebirth"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: karuṇa

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.87 (Aṣṭabhakta on Māgha-śukla-dvādaśī)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A consoling instruction scene: Varāha promises a powerful expiation; Bhū-devī’s posture shifts from concern to relief, with a symbolic river of saṃsāra behind them and a path/bridge of discipline ahead.","item_prompts":["Varāha speaking with reassuring hand gesture","Bhū-devī with softened expression","symbolic river/whirlpool (saṃsāra)","a stepped path or bridge labeled by ritual items (lamp, water, tulasī)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic symbolic background (whirlpool) with bold iconography; Varāha’s calm face contrasts the turbulent saṃsāra motif.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf aura and ornate throne; symbolic saṃsāra rendered as stylized waves; expiation path highlighted with gilded accents.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant composition; subtle symbolism with refined detailing of ritual objects and serene expressions.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic landscape with a river crossing; intimate teacher-disciple mood; delicate linework and soft colors."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"assuring, elevating","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, compassionate, authoritative"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Soteriological Discourse

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It signals a transition from consequence-narration to prescriptive remedy, typical of Purāṇic instructional sequencing (problem → result → expiation).

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is identified; the focus is on saṃsāra as a conceptual domain.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Ethical lapses are framed as remediable through disciplined expiation, presented as a means of stabilizing conduct and reducing saṃsāric entanglement.