Varaha Purana 187.95: Adhyaya 187, Shloka 95
Determination of the Origin and Procedure of the Ancestral Offering
Pitṛyajña/Śrāddha
Uttara Bhāga · Antyeṣṭi–Dāna–Prayāṇa-vidhi (Deathbed rites and meritorious gifts)
पश्चाच्छ्रुतिपथं दिव्यमुत्कर्णेन च श्रावयेत् ॥ यावत्प्राणान्प्रमुञ्चेत कृत्वा कर्म सुदुष्करम् ॥
paścāc chrutipathaṃ divyam utkarṇena ca śrāvayet || yāvat prāṇān pramuñceta kṛtvā karma suduṣkaram ||
pashchAChrutipathaM divyamutkarNena cha shrAvayet || yAvatprANAnpramu~ncheta kRRitvA karma suduShkaram
फिर पंडित को बोलो कि उसके कान में वेद पढ़े। जब तक वो साँस नहीं छोड़ता, तब तक यह काम करना है। यह काम बहुत मुश्किल है।
Sandhi Notes
- paścāc chrutipatham → paścāt śruti-patham (cch from t+ś)
- divyam utkarṇena → divyam utkarṇena (no split)
- yāvat prāṇān (no split)
Varāha
Concerned, compassionate toward the dying
What is the proper end-of-life practice of hearing śruti, and how should it be administered to one nearing death?
At the final moment, sacred hearing can orient consciousness toward the highest good; dharma includes compassionate spiritual care.
Arrange calm environment; elevate the ear (utkarṇa) and ensure continuous, clear recitation; prioritize the dying person’s composure and devotion over display.
Śruti as ‘divine path’ aligns with the idea that sound (śabda) is a vehicle of liberation; the ear becomes the ritual gateway at the liminal moment of prāṇa-release.
Implicit yajña of sound: recitation as offering; the dying person as the altar where mantra/śruti is poured like oblation.
Antaḥ-karaṇa saṃskāra at death: hearing sacred teaching steadies mind toward brahman/īśvara; echoes the Upaniṣadic emphasis on śravaṇa as first step toward realization.
At life’s end, have the divine śruti-path recited into the raised ear continuously until prāṇa departs—an arduous but meritorious duty.
Proper śruti-śravaṇa at death supports auspicious transition and merit; neglect may leave the dying without sacred orientation and reduce the rite’s salvific efficacy.
Varāha Purāṇa 187.107 (mantra and procedure at departure)
FAQs
It attests to the continued authority of śruti recitation within later Purāṇic ritual settings, illustrating continuity between Vedic and Purāṇic practice.
No geographic site is specified; the focus is on a ritual procedure.
To provide sustained, attentive support to the dying person through recognized recitations and careful presence.
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