Varaha Purana 136.85: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 85
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
Pūrva Bhāga · Prāyaścitta (Expiatory Observances)
प्रायश्चित्तं महाभागे मम भक्तसुखावहम् ॥ उपवासं त्रिरात्रं तु तत एकेन वा पुनः ॥
prāyaścittaṃ mahābhāge mama bhaktasukhāvaham || upavāsaṃ trirātraṃ tu tata ekena vā punaḥ ||
prAyashchittaM mahAbhAge mama bhaktasukhAvaham || upavAsaM trirAtraM tu tata ekena vA punaH
大いなる幸いを得た者よ、これは我が信徒の安寧をもたらす贖罪である。三夜の断食、あるいはその後に（少なくとも）一夜の断食をせよ。
Varāha
Receptive, seeking dharmic clarity on remediation
What expiation (prāyaścitta) should be performed to remove fault and restore purity?
Pāpa is remediable through disciplined restraint (upavāsa) undertaken with correct intent and procedure.
Adopt a graded penance: perform trirātra fasting when able; otherwise a minimal fast as a concession without abandoning expiation altogether.
Instruction given to Bhū-devī as the addressed listener (“mahābhāge”).
For expiation, observe a fast for three nights (trirātra-upavāsa), or at minimum a one-night fast as a reduced option.
Properly undertaken fasting mitigates pāpa/kilbiṣa and restores ritual-moral fitness; neglect leaves the fault operative.
Varāha Purāṇa 136.95–136.96 (continuation of the same prāyaścitta-vidhi)
FAQs
It exemplifies how Purāṇas systematize expiation through graded austerities (e.g., three-night fast), paralleling broader dharma literature.
No location is identified.
When a lapse occurs, adopt a structured, time-bound discipline (fasting) as corrective practice.
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