Varaha Purana 174.13: Adhyaya 174, Shloka 13
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
Uttara Bhāga · Dialogue: Pretas respond—ignorance and confusion
दुर्बुद्ध्या च वृताः सर्वे हीनज्ञानाः विचेतसः ॥ न जानीमो दिशं काचिद्विदिशं चापि चाध्वनि
durbuddhyā ca vṛtāḥ sarve hīnajñānā vicetasaḥ || na jānīmo diśaṃ kācid vidiśaṃ cāpi cādhvani
durbuddhyA cha vRRitAH sarve hInaj~nAnA vichetasaH || na jAnImo dishaM kAchidvidishaM chApi chAdhvani
हम सब का दिमाग खराब हो गया है। कुछ समझ नहीं आता। रास्ते में भटके जा रहे हैं, किस तरफ जाना है, किस रास्ते जाना है, कुछ पता नहीं।
Sandhi Notes
- kācidvidiśam = kācid vidiśam
- cāpi = ca api
- cādhvani = ca adhvani
Pretas (continued)
What inner cause makes you directionless—how does delusion (durbuddhi) lead to this wandering?
Inner cognition shapes lived and post-mortem experience; deluded buddhi becomes existential ‘loss of direction’.
Train buddhi through śāstra, sat-saṅga, and self-restraint; practice truthful, non-harming conduct to avoid tamasic confusion.
Moral-psychological failure (durbuddhi, ajñāna, avicetas) is presented as a karmic condition producing disorientation and suffering after death.
Cultivated discernment and dharmic intelligence lead to clarity of path; persistent delusion yields confusion and helpless wandering.
Varāha Purāṇa: continuation of preta self-report leading to brāhmaṇa’s inquiry on karma-born names
FAQs
It connects cognitive-ethical failure (poor judgment, lack of knowledge) with post-mortem suffering, a recurrent didactic linkage in Purāṇic literature.
No named location; “direction” and “by-ways” are metaphorical markers of disorientation rather than a specific map reference.
Cultivate discernment and knowledge; the narrative warns that ethical-intellectual negligence leads to prolonged confusion and distress.
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