Varaha Purana 97.45: Adhyaya 97, Shloka 45
The Glory of Rudra: The Origin of the Kapālamocana Pilgrimage Site and Rudra’s Expiatory Vow
ब्रह्मोवाच ॥ इदमेव व्रतं देव चर कापालिकं विभो ॥ समयाचारसंयुक्तं कृत्वा स्वेनैव तेजसा
brahmovāca || idam eva vrataṃ deva cara kāpālikaṃ vibho || samayācārasaṃyuktaṃ kṛtvā svenaiva tejasā
ព្រះព្រហ្មមានព្រះបន្ទូលថា៖ «នេះហើយជាវ្រតពិតប្រាកដ; ឱ ព្រះទេវា ឱ ព្រះអម្ចាស់ដ៏មានអានុភាព ចូរអនុវត្តវ្រតកាបាលិកៈ—ប្រកបដោយវិន័យនៃកាលៈ និងចរិយាដ៏ត្រឹមត្រូវ—ដោយទទួលយកវាដោយតេជស (អំណាចខាងក្នុង) របស់ព្រះអង្គផ្ទាល់»។
Brahmā
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"observer"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Brahmā enjoins the Kāpālika-type ascetic observance to be practiced with proper samaya-ācāra (conventional discipline and right conduct) and sustained by one’s own tapas/tejas.","karmic_consequence":"Properly observed, the vow becomes a means toward purification and removal of demerit; if done without ācāra it degenerates into adharmic conduct and fails to purify."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Kāpālika-vrata (as framed as a regulated ascetic observance)","tithi_month":"Not specified (presented as a discipline undertaken for a period, later contextualized by multi-year narrative).","promised_fruit":"Acquisition of inner radiance/tejas through disciplined observance and eligibility for subsequent tīrtha-based purification."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Ethics of practice (ācāra)","core_concept":"Tapas must be yoked to samaya-ācāra; spiritual power (tejas) is legitimate when disciplined by right conduct.","practical_application":"Undertake vows only with regulated conduct, teacher-guidance, and restraint; treat ‘power’ as responsibility, not license."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ascetic Practice","Ritual Discipline"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 97.97.2-4 (multi-year vow leading to tīrtha and purification)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Brahmā, as cosmic instructor, formally enjoins an austere vow, emphasizing disciplined conduct and inner radiance rather than spectacle.","item_prompts":["four-faced Brahmā seated on lotus","gesture of instruction (upadeśa-mudrā)","ascetic’s skull-bowl motif hinted (kāpāla) without gore","aura/tejas as subtle radiance","scriptural palm-leaf or Veda symbol"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Brahmā on lotus, warm ochres and greens, clear upadeśa gesture, subtle halo indicating tejas, minimal skull-bowl motif as symbolic accessory.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: Brahmā with ornate crown and heavy jewelry, gold-leaf halo, lotus throne, small symbolic kapāla placed near the ascetic, inscription-like framing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework, soft shading, Brahmā teaching posture, luminous tejas aura, restrained iconographic kapāla element.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate teaching scene, Brahmā and a listening ascetic in a calm setting, delicate landscape border, emphasis on serenity and discipline."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Didactic and composed","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, authoritative, restrained"}
FAQs
It is a rare Purāṇic mention framing a Kāpālika-type observance within a prescriptive discourse, relevant to the study of Śaiva ascetic currents and their textual reception.
No location is named in this verse; it is an instruction regarding a vow (vrata).
Practice is to be aligned with samaya and ācāra—shared conventions and disciplined conduct—highlighting regulated observance rather than transgressive display.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.