Varaha Purana 136.3 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 3

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

चाण्डालस्य गृहे तत्र एवमेतन्न संशयः ॥ एवं भुक्त्वा तु तत्कर्म मम क्षेत्रे मृतो यदि

Transliteration

cāṇḍālasya gṛhe tatra evam etan na saṁśayaḥ | evaṁ bhuktvā tu tat karma mama kṣetre mṛto yadi ||

Translation

അവിടെ ചാണ്ഡാലന്റെ വീട്ടിൽ തന്നെയാണ് ജനനം—ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല. ആ കർമ്മഫലം അനുഭവിച്ച ശേഷം ആരെങ്കിലും എന്റെ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ (പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ) മരിച്ചാൽ…

Word by Word

• cāṇḍālasya: of a caṇḍāla

• gṛhe: in the house

• tatra: there

• evam: thus

• etat: this

• na saṁśayaḥ: no doubt

• evaṁ: thus

• bhuktvā: having experienced/undergone

• tat: that

• karma: act/deed

• mama: my

• kṣetre: in the sacred field/domain

• mṛtaḥ: dead

• yadi: if

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Implicit continuation of instruction to Bhū-devī; introduces ‘my sacred domain’ (mama kṣetra) as spiritually decisive."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Varāha-kṣetra (unspecified within the verse; treated as ‘mama kṣetra’)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Indirect: kṣetra-mahātmyas in Mathurā-maṇḍala often culminate in Bhāgavata devotion; this verse anticipates salvific power of sacred land later associated with Vaiṣṇava centers."}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"As a result of the offence one is born in a caṇḍāla’s house; yet dying within Varāha’s kṣetra becomes a turning point for future uplift.","karmic_consequence":"Socially degraded birth as karmic ripening; death in the deity’s kṣetra mitigates and redirects destiny toward devotion (expanded in next verse)."}

Vrata Mahatmya

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

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Kṣetra functions as ‘embodied grace’: even when karma yields low birth, contact with the deity’s land reorients the jīva—showing the avatāra’s salvific field (kṣetra-śakti).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"‘Mama kṣetra’ parallels yajña-vedi: a bounded sacred space where impurities are transmuted by divine presence.","vedantic_connection":"Grace (anugraha) can operate through place and devotion, softening karmic determinism without denying moral causality."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Kṣetra-māhātmya / Grace","core_concept":"Sacred geography mediates divine compassion: place can become a conduit for purification and future bhakti.","practical_application":"Seek residence, pilgrimage, or final remembrance in a Vaiṣṇava kṣetra; combine with repentance and devotion rather than relying on place alone."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: भयानक

Secondary Rasa: शान्त

Geographic Context

Type: sacred domain/kṣetra

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.4 (rebirth as devotee in Bhāgavata household)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A karmic narrative: a person born in a caṇḍāla household due to offence, and a contrasting scene of that person dying within Varāha’s sacred domain, hinting at redemption.","item_prompts":["two-part narrative composition","humble hut indicating caṇḍāla household","boundary marker/temple signifying ‘kṣetra’","Varāha emblem or shrine","funerary/last-breath motif rendered respectfully"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Panelled storytelling with clear spatial separation: ‘impure birth’ scene in darker tones; ‘kṣetra death’ scene luminous with shrine motif.","tanjore_prompt":"Shrine of Varāha with gold-leaf emphasis; the devotee’s final moment shown serenely; avoid harsh realism.","mysore_prompt":"Balanced narrative realism; sacred domain shown as temple courtyard with gentle light; social setting indicated subtly.","pahari_prompt":"Miniature-style split scene with architectural cues; soft landscape around the kṣetra; emphasis on moral narrative."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative, caution-to-hope","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, storytelling"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Sacred Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows how Purāṇic texts combine social imagery and sacred-geographic concepts (‘kṣetra’) to articulate consequences and possible transitions toward purification.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse mentions ‘mama kṣetre’ (“in my sacred domain”) but does not specify a named location; it functions as a generic sacred-territory marker within the text.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

That actions have consequences across social and spatial registers, and that dying within a designated ‘kṣetra’ is presented as a significant condition in the narrative logic.