Varaha Purana 41.22 — Adhyaya 41, Shloka 22
Rite of the Varāha Dvādaśī Vow and an Exemplary Narrative on Expiation for Brahmin-Slaying
ततस्ते दुःखिताः सर्वे ययुः पितरमन्तिकम् । ऊचुश्च वचनं छेदं मृगहिंसामृते मुने ॥ ४१.२२ ॥
tataste duḥkhitāḥ sarve yayuḥ pitaram antikam | ūcuś ca vacanaṃ chedaṃ mṛgahiṃsāmṛte mune || 41.22 ||
Daraufhin gingen sie alle, von Kummer erfüllt, zu ihrem Vater und sprachen zum Weisen entschlossene Worte, indem sie erklärten, vom Schneiden und von Gewalt gegen Tiere abzustehen.
Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"When harm has occurred, the distressed offenders should approach the elder/authority and formally declare cessation from further violence and destructive acts as the first step toward expiation.","karmic_consequence":"Confession and a vow of non-violence mitigate demerit and open the way to purification; concealment and continued हिंसा deepen pāpa and future suffering."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Ethical discipline (ahiṃsā) and moral repair","core_concept":"Remorse plus resolve (saṅkalpa) to abandon हिंसा is a necessary precondition for prāyaścitta and inner purification.","practical_application":"After causing harm—especially to vulnerable beings—seek guidance, confess plainly, and adopt concrete restraints (non-violence, non-cutting/destructive conduct)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ecological Narratives"]
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: hermitage/household of a ṛṣi
Related Themes: 41.41.23 (explicit confession and request for prāyaścitta); 41.41.25–26 (prescribed discipline and forest practice)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A group of distressed youths approach their father-sage near the hermitage, hands folded, declaring they will abstain from cutting and from harming animals.","item_prompts":["forest hermitage hut","sage seated with kamaṇḍalu and staff","sons with folded hands","deer in the background (symbol of the harmed beings)","somber faces indicating remorse"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: earthy palette, stylized āśrama grove, the sage in calm śānta-bhāva, youths in karuṇa-bhāva with añjali-mudrā, clear linework and ornamental foliage.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central seated sage with halo, sons in symmetrical arrangement offering añjali, rich textiles, minimal forest cues, gold-leaf emphasis on sanctity and confession.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate shading, refined expressions of remorse, detailed hermitage objects (kamaṇḍalu, kuśa grass), soft forest depth.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical forest setting with layered greens, small hermitage, expressive faces, narrative clarity with deer silhouettes in distance."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"penitential and restrained","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, grave, and compassionate"}
FAQs
It reflects a recurring Purāṇic concern with regulated conduct—especially restraint from harm—presented through a narrative appeal to authority figures (father/sage) within the text’s didactic framework.
No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse fragment.
The verse foregrounds restraint: refraining from cutting (cheda) and from violence toward animals (mṛga-hiṃsā), presented as a corrective response by distressed speakers.
Ask anything about this verse
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