Varaha Purana 22.18: Adhyaya 22, Shloka 18
Gaurī’s Rebirth, Umā’s Austerities, Rudra’s Test, and the Himalayan Wedding
अन्यव्यतिक्रमे धर्ममपनेतुं च शक्यते । ब्रह्मवध्याः पुनर्नैवमेवमुक्त्वा गता त्वरम् ॥ २२.१८ ॥
anyavyatikrame dharmam apanetuṃ ca śakyate | brahmavadhyāḥ punarnaivam evam uktvā gatā tvaram || 22.18 ||
„Bei anderen Verfehlungen kann man die Schuld gemäß dem Dharma tilgen; doch bei brahma-hatyā (der Tötung eines Brāhmaṇa) ist es nicht so.“ So sprechend, eilte sie davon.
Pṛthivī (default dialogue attribution; speaker not explicit in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"anxious, didactic, and hurried—pressing the point of inexpiability","key_question":"Which sins admit prāyaścitta, and why is brahma-hatyā uniquely resistant to expiation?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Most transgressions can be removed by dharmic expiation, but brahma-hatyā is declared not removable in the same way.","karmic_consequence":"Avoidance is paramount: once brahma-hatyā is incurred, it clings with exceptional severity, driving urgent preventive action."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"moral psychology of karma","core_concept":"Some karmic violations are portrayed as structurally destabilizing to social-sacral order, hence treated as nearly irreversible.","practical_application":"Prioritize prevention over cure in ethical life; do not rely on ritual expiation as a substitute for restraint and protection."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Dharmaśāstra discourse","Sin and expiation (prāyaścitta)"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: ethical-legal discourse space
Related Themes: 22.22.17 (fear of incurring brahma-hatyā by omission); 22.22.19 (immediate rescue action follows)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Pṛthivī states the doctrine: other faults may be expiated, but brahma-hatyā cannot; after speaking, she departs swiftly.","item_prompts":["Earth-goddess (Pṛthivī) in anxious motion","gesture of warning/teaching","sense of haste (flowing garment)","minimal setting to emphasize discourse"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Pṛthivī with green-gold palette, expressive eyes; teaching mudrā; dynamic exit posture; simple backdrop with stylized flora.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: richly ornamented Bhūdevī with gold highlights; inscription-like composition; one hand in admonition, one indicating departure; ornate frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: soft modeling; Bhūdevī’s face serious; subtle motion lines in drapery; calm background to contrast urgency.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: slender Bhūdevī moving along a terrace/forest edge; delicate gesture of warning; light washes; emphasis on narrative movement."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, cautionary","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, instructive, slightly urgent"}
FAQs
It reflects a common dharma-legal hierarchy found across Sanskrit normative literature, where certain acts are framed as more difficult (or impossible) to expiate, illustrating how Purāṇic texts transmit and popularize ethical-juridical categories.
No geographic location is named in this verse fragment; the content is ethical-juridical rather than topographical.
The verse distinguishes between expiable transgressions and the especially grave category of brahma-hatyā, presenting a hierarchy of wrongdoing and stressing the exceptional seriousness attributed to that act in the dharma tradition.
Ask anything about this verse
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