Varaha Purana 136.76 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 76

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

करोति मम कर्माणि स्पृशते मां तदा स्थितः ॥ मृगो वै जायते देवि वर्षाणि त्रीणि सप्त च ॥

Transliteration

karoti mama karmāṇi spṛśate māṃ tadā sthitaḥ | mṛgo vai jāyate devi varṣāṇi trīṇi sapta ca ||

Translation

នៅទីនោះដោយឈរនៅ សេវាកម្មពិធីរបស់ព្រះអង្គ ហើយប៉ះព្រះអង្គ; ឱ ទេវី ដោយផលនោះ គេពិតជាកើតជាសត្វក្តាន់ រយៈពេល “បី និង ប្រាំពីរ” ឆ្នាំ (គឺប្រាំពីរ ឆ្នាំ)។

Word by Word

• karoti: does/performs

• mama karmāṇi: my rites/acts

• spṛśate: touches

• mām: me

• tadā: then/at that time

• sthitaḥ: standing/remaining

• mṛga: deer

• jāyate: is born

• devi: O goddess

• varṣāṇi: years

• trīṇi: three

• sapta: seven

• ca: and

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"earth_rescue","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha speaks to Devī (Bhū) about the karmic result of impure contact while performing his rites (‘touches me’)."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"concerned/curious about consequences of ritual faults","key_question":"What rebirth results from performing the Lord’s rites while in a state of impurity and ‘touching’ the deity/earth improperly?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Impure performance of the Lord’s rites, involving improper contact (‘touching me’), yields animal rebirth.","karmic_consequence":"Rebirth as a deer for a specified term (‘three and seven years’ in the received phrasing, commonly understood as seven years/for a period counted as 3+7)."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma and embodiment","core_concept":"Ritual acts done with negligence (pramāda) can invert merit into demerit, shaping the next embodiment.","practical_application":"Before worship: ensure bodily/cloth purity, correct procedure, and mindful reverence; avoid casual handling of deity/altar/earth during rites."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma and Rebirth","Ritual Purity"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayānaka

Secondary Rasa: śānta

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.83 (cause: impure/borrowed garment); Varāha Purāṇa 136.85 (further embodied consequences); Varāha Purāṇa 136.86–87 (remedy via prāyaścitta and vrata)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cautionary tableau: Varāha instructs Bhū-devī while, in a vignette-like side panel, a negligent worshipper is shown transforming into or being reborn as a deer in a forest.","item_prompts":["Varāha teaching gesture","Bhū-devī listening","side vignette: deer in woodland","pūjā platform with lamp and water pot","a figure reaching/touching improperly (symbolic)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: central divine discourse; secondary narrative strip showing deer rebirth; strong outlines and symbolic storytelling.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central gold-haloed Varāha; small inset panel with deer; ornate temple setting to stress ‘touching the deity’ theme.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined narrative composition with subtle inset; emphasize moral consequence without grotesque detail.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: gentle landscape with deer in pine-forest style; the moral vignette reads like a miniature illustration beside the teaching scene."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory, consequential","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"grave, warning, measured"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Moral Didacticism
• Vaiṣṇavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It demonstrates how Purāṇic texts encode ritual propriety through narrative consequence, using rebirth imagery as a moral-educational device.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is identified.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Ritual engagement is portrayed as requiring proper conditions; improper conduct is linked to adverse karmic outcomes.