Varaha Purana 121.24: Adhyaya 121, Shloka 24
Avoidance of Rebirth in the Womb: Ethical Conduct and the Prevention of Degraded Rebirth
Pūrva Bhāga · Ritual and Conduct Norms (Reverence, Purity, Speech Discipline)
यः स्पृशेत्कपिलां भक्त्या कुमारिं न च दूषयेत् ॥ अग्निं न च क्रमेत्पद्भ्यां न च पुत्रेण भाषयेत् ॥
yaḥ spṛśet kapilāṁ bhaktyā kumārīṁ na ca dūṣayet || agniṁ na ca kramet padbhyāṁ na ca putreṇa bhāṣayet
yaH spRRishetkapilAM bhaktyA kumArIM na cha dUShayet || agniM na cha krametpadbhyAM na cha putreNa bhAShayet
जो भक्ति के साथ कपिला गाय को छूए और किसी कन्या की इज्जत ना तोड़ दे। जो आग के ऊपर पैर से ना चढ़े और अपने बेटे के ज़रिए बात ना करवाए।
Sandhi Notes
- स्पृशेत्कपिलाम् = स्पृशेत् + कपिलाम्
- क्रमेत्पद्भ्याम् = क्रमेत् + पद्भ्याम्
Varāha
Observer (receiving dharma-instruction)
How should one regulate bodily, sexual, and ritual boundaries to remain dharmic?
External etiquette (ācāra) disciplines the mind and protects others, becoming a support for bhakti and inner purity.
Adopt daily ‘do-not-cross’ rules: protect vulnerable persons, treat fire and sacred beings with reverence, and speak directly rather than instrumentally through dependents.
Instructional address within the Varāha–Bhū dialogue frame.
Maintain ritual/social propriety: revere the kapilā cow, protect a maiden’s integrity, do not step over fire, and avoid using one’s son as an intermediary for speech/requests.
Such restraint supports purity and merit; violations imply pratyavāya (ritual fault) and social/sexual adharma leading to demerit and obstructed spiritual progress.
Varāha Purāṇa 121.28–29 (conduct leading to ‘my world’); Varāha Purāṇa 121.121.1 (truthfulness and non-retaliatory memory)
FAQs
It preserves a set of behavioral norms blending ritual etiquette with social ethics, characteristic of Purāṇic compilations that codify everyday conduct.
No geographic location is named in this verse.
Maintain reverent and restrained conduct—avoid harming the vulnerable, observe ritual respect for fire, and practice disciplined speech and mediation.
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