Varaha Purana 134.64 — Adhyaya 134, Shloka 64

Expiations for Ritual and Temporal Offences in Worship, and the Prescribed Purificatory Procedure

Upaspṛśya

Devanagari script

यावकान्नं त्रीण्यहानि वायुभक्षो दिनत्रयम् ॥ य एतेन विधानॆन देवि कर्माणि कारयेत् ॥

Transliteration

yāvakānnaṃ trīṇy ahāni vāyubhakṣo dinatrayam | ya etena vidhānena devi karmāṇi kārayet ||

Translation

For three days one should take yāvaka-grain as food, and for three days live as an ‘air-feeder’ (fasting). Whoever, O goddess, performs the rites according to this procedure—

Word by Word

• yāvaka-annam: food of yāvaka grain (barley/millet

• trīṇi: three

• ahāni: days

• vāyu-bhakṣaḥ: subsisting on air (fasting)

• dina-trayam: a set of three days

• yaḥ: whoever

• etena: by this

• vidhānena: method/procedure

• devi: O goddess

• karmāṇi: rites/acts

• kārayet: should perform/cause to be done

Speaker

Varāha (inferred continuation)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Continues procedural instruction to Bhū-devī, specifying graded fasting steps and correct performance (vidhāna)"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

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":"After the regimen, take yāvaka-grain for three days and then fast as ‘vāyubhakṣa’ (subsisting on air) for three days; performing rites per this vidhāna completes the expiation.","karmic_consequence":"Correctly following the graded austerity removes accumulated pāpa; incorrect/partial observance diminishes or delays purification."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Graded Prāyaścitta with Yāvaka and Vāyubhakṣa","tithi_month":"Three days yāvaka + three days fasting (as part of the broader expiation sequence)","promised_fruit":"Completion of śuddhi leading toward freedom from sin and eligibility for the stated salvific fruit in the next verse."}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"discipline and intentionality in expiation","core_concept":"Purification is procedural and progressive: reducing dependence on food symbolizes reducing dependence on sense-supports and karmic momentum.","practical_application":"If undertaking expiation, follow a clear, staged plan (with health-appropriate guidance), maintaining truthfulness, restraint, and devotional recollection."}

Subject Matter

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

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: vīra

Geographic Context

Type: prescriptive dharma passage (unspecified)

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 134.72 (fruit: freedom from sin and reaching the Lord’s world)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A schematic, instructional tableau: symbols of yāvaka-grain and the austerity of fasting, with Varāha emphasizing ‘vidhāna’ (proper procedure).","item_prompts":["small heap/bowl of yāvaka (barley)","empty bowl to signify fasting","Varāha’s instructive hand gesture","Bhū-devī attentive, serene"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: symbolic props (barley bowl, empty bowl); Varāha teaching; restrained palette and strong linework.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-backed didactic scene; barley bowl rendered prominently; halos; formal symmetry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined still-life quality for the bowls/grain; gentle expressions; balanced composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative clarity with minimal props; soft hills/ashram hint; emphasis on austerity mood."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"severe, methodical","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"steady","voice_tone":"low, precise, procedural"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ascetic Practice
• Purāṇic Ritual Procedure

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves technical vocabulary for penance diets and fasting, useful for comparing Purāṇic prescriptions with Dharmaśāstra parallels.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

A graded regimen of restraint (specific foods and fasting) is taught as a corrective discipline within expiatory practice.