Varaha Purana 136.17 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 17
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
हत्वा च बालान्वृद्धांश्च त्रिपुरे रूपिणीः स्त्रियः ॥ तेन पापेन सम्बद्धो न शक्नोति विचेष्टितुम् ॥
hatvā ca bālān vṛddhāṃś ca tripure rūpiṇīḥ striyaḥ || tena pāpena sambaddho na śaknoti viceṣṭitum ||
ത്രിപുരയിൽ ബാലന്മാരെയും വൃദ്ധന്മാരെയും രൂപവതികളായ സ്ത്രീകളെയും വധിച്ച്, ആ പാപബന്ധത്തിൽ കുടുങ്ങിയവൻ സ്വതന്ത്രമായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കുവാൻ കഴിയുന്നില്ല.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha narrates moral causality to Bhū-devī, describing heinous violence and its binding karmic effect (loss of freedom/agency)."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"disturbed/concerned; absorbing a grim ethical exemplum.","key_question":"How does grave हिंसा (killing the vulnerable) generate bondage that destroys one’s capacity to act freely?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"Severe violence—especially against children, the aged, and women—constitutes mahāpāpa leading to binding karmic obstruction and loss of agency.","karmic_consequence":"Perpetrator becomes ‘bound by sin’ (pāpa-bandha), experiencing incapacity, downfall, and constriction of will and power."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"moral psychology / karma theory","core_concept":"Pāpa is not merely ‘punishment’ but a binding force that constricts agency (kartṛtva) and freedom (svātantrya).","practical_application":"Adopt ahiṃsā and protection of the vulnerable as a core ethic; recognize that unethical means corrode inner capacity and future action."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Violence and Consequence","Mythic-Historical Narrative"]
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: mythic-political space (Tripura motif)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136 (continuation into the depiction of Maheśvara’s pallor and loss of powers)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark narrative tableau of slaughter in Tripurā—children, elders, and women harmed—followed by the perpetrator shown shackled by an unseen ‘sin’ force, unable to move freely.","item_prompts":["Tripurā cityscape (fortified, threefold motif suggested)","figures representing children/elders/women (symbolic, non-graphic)","dark karmic bonds/ropes around the perpetrator","atmosphere of smoke/ruin","Varāha narrating to Bhū-devī at the edge of the scene"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized Tripurā architecture; symbolic depiction of violence (avoid gore); dark coils representing pāpa-bandha; Varāha-Bhū-devī as framing narrators.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: narrative paneling—Tripurā scene in one panel, bound figure in another; gold used sparingly to contrast dharma vs adharma; solemn faces.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: restrained depiction, emphasis on pallor and bondage; architectural detail for Tripurā; moral gravity through muted tones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: dramatic hillside fort as Tripurā; expressive faces; symbolic black serpentine bonds; compassionate Bhū-devī reacting."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"somber, warning, heavy with consequence","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"grave, emphatic"}
FAQs
It shows how Purāṇic texts narrativize moral injury: extreme violence is linked to loss of agency, providing material for studies of ethics and narrative causality in Sanskrit literature.
Tripurā is named; in Purāṇic usage it may function as a mythic locale associated with the Tripura narrative cycle rather than a single securely identified modern site.
The verse presents violence against vulnerable groups as generating binding consequences, diminishing autonomy and capacity for right action.
Ask anything about this verse
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