Varaha Purana 189.33: Adhyaya 189, Shloka 33
Section on the Origin and Procedure of Piṇḍa-Rites (Funerary Offerings) and Donor–Recipient Purification
के भवन्तोऽत्र सम्प्राप्ता दशामेतां सुदुःखिताः ॥ केन कर्मविपाकेन भवन्तः कथयन्तु मे ॥
ke bhavanto ’tra samprāptā daśām etāṃ suduḥkhitāḥ | kena karmavipākena bhavantaḥ kathayantu me ||
„Wer seid ihr, die ihr hierher gelangt seid und in einen so tiefen Kummer gefallen seid? Durch welche Reifung des Karma ist dies geschehen? Sagt es mir.“
Unspecified (dialogue voice within narrative; likely Medhātithi/king addressing the afflicted)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","key_question":"Who are you, and by what karmic maturation have you fallen into this extreme suffering?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Misfortune is to be traced to karma (including ritual faults); dharmic response begins with inquiry into cause before prescribing remedy (proper śrāddha/prāyaścitta).","karmic_consequence":"Correct diagnosis enables corrective rites and relief; ignorance or denial prolongs suffering for both pitṛs and descendants."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma inquiry","core_concept":"Karma-vipāka is intelligible and discussable; suffering is not random but has causes that can be understood and, in many cases, ritually/ethically remedied.","practical_application":"Cultivate reflective inquiry (who/why/how) when facing adversity; seek dharmic counsel and perform appropriate reparative actions rather than fatalism."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma and Rebirth","Ancestral Rites"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: jijñāsā (inquisitive)
Type: forest/liminal-space
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 189.32-35 (setup: śrāddha fault, pitṛ fall, encounter)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Close scene: the king addresses the suffering beings, hand raised in inquiry; the afflicted look toward him, pleading—dialogue moment suspended in the thorny forest.","item_prompts":["king’s questioning gesture","afflicted figures responding with sorrowful faces","thorny branches framing the scene","attendants in background","sense of moral gravity"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Emphasize expressive eyes and hand mudrās; dense vegetal border of thorns; king centered as dharmic inquirer.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-leaf halo and ornaments for the king; textured forest backdrop; afflicted figures in subdued tones to heighten contrast.","mysore_prompt":"Balanced composition with refined facial expressions; soft lighting; detailed textiles and ornaments; realistic thorn foliage.","pahari_prompt":"Intimate conversational tableau; delicate linework; sparse but evocative thorns; emotional focus on faces and gestures."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"inquiring, compassionate, solemn","suggested_raga":"Shubhapantuvarali","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm yet empathetic, interrogative cadence"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative device: explaining suffering through karmic causality (karmavipāka), often as a prelude to prescriptive rites such as Śrāddha.
No specific location is named in this verse fragment.
The verse frames suffering as intelligible within a moral-causal order, inviting inquiry into past actions rather than treating misfortune as random.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.