Varaha Purana 187.91: Adhyaya 187, Shloka 91
Determination of the Origin and Procedure of the Ancestral Offering
Pitṛyajña/Śrāddha
Uttara Bhāga · Antyeṣṭi–Dāna–Prayāṇa-vidhi (Deathbed rites and meritorious gifts)
कण्ठस्थानं गते जीवे भीतिविभ्रान्तमानसः ॥ ज्ञात्वा च विह्वलं तत्र शीघ्रं निःसारयेद्गृहात् ॥ १०१ ॥ कुशास्तरणशायी च दिशः सर्वा न पश्यति ॥ लब्धस्मृतिर्मुहूर्तं तु यावज्जीवो न पश्यति ॥
kaṇṭhasthānaṃ gate jīve bhītivibhrāntamānasaḥ || jñātvā ca vihvalaṃ tatra śīghraṃ niḥsārayed gṛhāt || 101 || kuśāstaraṇaśāyī ca diśaḥ sarvā na paśyati || labdhasmṛtir muhūrtaṃ tu yāvaj jīvo na paśyati ||
kaNThasthAnaM gate jIve bhItivibhrAntamAnasaH || j~nAtvA cha vihvalaM tatra shIghraM niHsArayedgRRihAt || 10 1 || kushAstaraNashAyI cha dishaH sarvA na pashyati|| labdhasmRRitirmuhUrtaM tu yAvajjIvo na pashyati
जब इंसान की जान गला तक पहुँच जाती है, वो डर के मारे घबरा जाता है। उस वक्त उसका हाल बहुत बुरा हो जाता है, तो उसे जल्दी घर से बाहर निकालना चाहिए। उसे कुशा घास पर लेटा देना। वो किसी तरफ नहीं देख पाता। थोड़ी देर के लिए होश आता है, फिर भी वो साफ नहीं देख पाता।
Sandhi Notes
- niḥsārayed gṛhāt → niḥ-sārayet gṛhāt
- yāvaj jīvo → yāvat jīvaḥ (final -t before j)
- bhītivibhrāntamānasaḥ treated as compound bhīti-vibhrānta-mānasaḥ
Varāha
Death is a psychologically disorienting threshold; dharmic procedure provides structure, reduces panic, and preserves ritual order for the living.
Families should recognize signs of imminent death, act promptly and calmly, prepare kuśa bedding, and maintain a composed, dharmic environment.
At the throat-stage of dying (jīva at kaṇṭha), quickly move the person out of the house and lay him on kuśa-grass as part of proper end-of-life handling.
Proper deathbed handling supports orderly transition and enables subsequent śrāddha/antyeṣṭi correctness; neglect risks ritual impropriety, distress at death, and inauspiciousness for householders.
Varāha Purāṇa 187 (surrounding deathbed/ethical instructions implied by context)
FAQs
It preserves a late-classical Hindu household ritual protocol for the liminal moment of dying, showing how Purāṇic narration overlaps with normative ritual handbooks.
No explicit geographic location is named in this verse; the setting is domestic (gṛha) and ritual (kuśa bedding).
To respond promptly and carefully to a dying person’s distress, relocating them to an appropriate ritual setting with attentiveness rather than neglect.
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