Varaha Purana 136.44: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 44
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
Uttara Bhāga · Kapāla Burden and Sage’s Power (Purification Trajectory)
सततं पापसम्पन्नं कपालं शिरसि स्थितम् ॥ ऋषिः पातयितुं शक्तस्त्वत्प्रसादान्न सशङ्क्यः ॥
satataṁ pāpasampannaṁ kapālaṁ śirasi sthitam || ṛṣiḥ pātayituṁ śaktas tvatprasādān na saśaṅkyaḥ ||
satataM pApasampannaM kapAlaM shirasi sthitam || RRiShiH pAtayituM shaktastvatprasAdAnna sashaMyaH
वो खाली खोपड़ी जिसमे पाप भरा है, अभी भी तुम्हारे सर पे है। रिशि की ताकत है कि वो उसे गिरा दे। तुम्हारी कृपा से यह पक्का हो जाएगा, शक नहीं।
Varāha
Karmic fault can manifest as an enduring ‘mark’ (liṅga of impurity); liberation involves both inner transformation and the falling away of that mark through realized power and grace.
Treat recurring guilt/impurity as a signal to complete the full remedial path—discipline plus guidance—rather than masking symptoms.
A persistent sin-bearing ‘skull’ (kapāla) affixed to the head symbolizes enduring fault; a competent ṛṣi can cause it to fall through empowered grace, completing expiation.
With proper expiation and ṛṣi-anugraha, the emblem of sin drops away (fault removed); without such completion, the stigma/impurity remains attached.
Varāha Purāṇa 136.46–47 (Gautama-āśrama and prasāda as the means)
FAQs
The “kapāla on the head” motif is a recognizable narrative sign of burden and expiation, enabling comparative study with related Purāṇic and epic accounts.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it focuses on the symbolic burden and the agency of a sage.
The verse conveys that entrenched fault (kilbiṣa/pāpa) can be removed through proper guidance and sanctioned means within a ritual-ethical framework.
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