Varaha Purana 136.44: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 44
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
Uttara Bhāga · Kapāla Burden and Sage’s Power (Purification Trajectory)
सततं पापसम्पन्नं कपालं शिरसि स्थितम् ॥ ऋषिः पातयितुं शक्तस्त्वत्प्रसादान्न सशङ्क्यः ॥
satataṁ pāpasampannaṁ kapālaṁ śirasi sthitam || ṛṣiḥ pātayituṁ śaktas tvatprasādān na saśaṅkyaḥ ||
satataM pApasampannaM kapAlaM shirasi sthitam || RRiShiH pAtayituM shaktastvatprasAdAnna sashaMyaH
ກະໂຫຼກທີ່ເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍບາບຢູ່ເປັນນິດ ຍັງຕັ້ງຢູ່ເທິງສີສະຂອງທ່ານ. ໂດຍພຣະອະນຸກຣະຫາຂອງທ່ານ ິສີສາມາດເຮັດໃຫ້ມັນຕົກໄດ້—ບໍ່ຄວນສົງໄສ.
Varāha
Karmic fault can manifest as an enduring ‘mark’ (liṅga of impurity); liberation involves both inner transformation and the falling away of that mark through realized power and grace.
Treat recurring guilt/impurity as a signal to complete the full remedial path—discipline plus guidance—rather than masking symptoms.
A persistent sin-bearing ‘skull’ (kapāla) affixed to the head symbolizes enduring fault; a competent ṛṣi can cause it to fall through empowered grace, completing expiation.
With proper expiation and ṛṣi-anugraha, the emblem of sin drops away (fault removed); without such completion, the stigma/impurity remains attached.
Varāha Purāṇa 136.46–47 (Gautama-āśrama and prasāda as the means)
FAQs
The “kapāla on the head” motif is a recognizable narrative sign of burden and expiation, enabling comparative study with related Purāṇic and epic accounts.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it focuses on the symbolic burden and the agency of a sage.
The verse conveys that entrenched fault (kilbiṣa/pāpa) can be removed through proper guidance and sanctioned means within a ritual-ethical framework.
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