Varaha Purana 174.9: Adhyaya 174, Shloka 9
The Sanctifying Power of River Confluences: Release from the Preta-State and the Rite of Śravaṇa Dvādaśī with Vāmana Worship
कृतपूजानमस्कारः अध्वानं प्रत्यपद्यत ॥ अध्वप्रपन्नो ह्यदृशत्पञ्चप्रेतान्सुभीषणान्
kṛtapūjānamaskāraḥ adhvānaṃ pratyapadyata || adhvaprapanno hy adṛśat pañcapretān subhīṣaṇān
उसने पूजा की और प्रणाम किया। फिर रास्ते पर निकल पड़ा। रास्ते में उसने पाँच भूत देखे। वो बहुत डरावने थे।
Narrator (default framework: Varāha’s discourse to Pṛthivī)
The narrative links proper worship/namaskāra before travel with encountering moral-cosmic consequences (pretas) on the path.
Implied: piety offers protection/clarity when confronting fearsome afterlife beings; neglect of reverence leaves one vulnerable to confusion and fear.
The world contains layers of beings shaped by karma; travel becomes an encounter with the unseen consequences of action.
Maintain reverence and ethical vigilance; interpret frightening encounters as prompts for inquiry into dharma rather than panic.
Lead-in to the preta dialogue (174.12 and following) where their karmic causes are explained
FAQs
It illustrates Purāṇic narrative technique where travel becomes a setting for moral and cosmological instruction through encounters with beings linked to post-mortem states.
No specific site is named here; the setting is the road (adhvan), functioning as a liminal narrative space between tīrthas.
Preparation through reverent conduct (pūjā, namaskāra) precedes travel, and the encounter invites reflection on causes and consequences of actions.
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