Varaha Purana 136.73 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 73

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

भक्षणे तु कृते कुर्याच्चान्द्रायणमतन्द्रितः ॥ प्रापणे तु कृते कुर्याद्द्वादशाहं पयोव्रतम् ॥

Transliteration

bhakṣaṇe tu kṛte kuryāc cāndrāyaṇam atandritaḥ | prāpaṇe tu kṛte kuryād dvādaśāhaṃ payovratam ||

Translation

ഭക്ഷണം ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ അലസതയില്ലാതെ ചാന്ദ്രായണ വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം; എന്നാൽ വെറും പ്രാപണം (അർപ്പണം) മാത്രമെങ്കിൽ പന്ത്രണ്ടുദിവസത്തെ പയോവ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• bhakṣaṇa: eating/consumption

• tu: but/indeed

• kṛte: when done

• kuryāt: should do

• cāndrāyaṇa: lunar-regulated expiatory observance

• atandrita: diligent/untiring

• prāpaṇa: providing/offering

• dvādaśāha: twelve days

• payo-vrata: milk-vow (dietary observance)

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha issues a graded prāyaścitta ruling, distinguishing between consuming the item and merely offering/providing it."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"instructed, reassured by clarity","key_question":"None"}

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":"If the prohibited act involved eating, perform Cāndrāyaṇa; if it was only providing/offering, perform a twelve-day payovrata.","karmic_consequence":"Correctly matched expiation neutralizes the fault proportionate to the act; failure to expiate leaves the doṣa operative."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Payovrata (twelve-day milk vow)","tithi_month":"Twelve days; specific lunar timing not stated","promised_fruit":"Removal of the lesser fault (prāpaṇa/offer-provision) and restoration of ritual purity."}

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":"ethical proportionality","core_concept":"Dharma applies proportionate remedies: intention and degree of participation (eating vs offering) determine the corrective burden.","practical_application":"Assess the exact nature of one’s lapse; adopt the corresponding discipline (Cāndrāyaṇa for heavier involvement; payovrata for lighter), and complete it without negligence (atandritaḥ)."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Discipline","Prāyaścitta"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: vīra

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.82.0 (fruit of performing the procedure)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha pronounces a two-tier expiation: a rigorous lunar fast for eating, and a twelve-day milk vow for offering; the scene feels like a dharma court of conscience.","item_prompts":["Varāha with teaching gesture","two symbolic panels: moon phases (for Cāndrāyaṇa) and a milk pot (for payovrata)","ascetic implements (kamandalu, darbha)","Bhūdevī listening attentively"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha as dharma-instructor; stylized crescent-to-full moon band above; white milk pot motif; earthy reds and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted moon disc sequence; ornate milk vessel; Varāha with jeweled crown; embossed details on ritual items.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: delicate rendering of lunar phases and a silver-toned milk pot; calm interior temple setting; emphasis on clarity and order.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: minimalistic symbols—moon arc and milk pot beside the figures; soft landscape; contemplative mood."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"legalistic, precise, corrective","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"measured","voice_tone":"crisp, authoritative, non-dramatic"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Dharma Practice
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ritual Fasting Traditions

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents standardized expiation categories (Cāndrāyaṇa, payovrata) that are also known from wider Sanskrit legal-ritual literature, showing cross-genre continuity.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned; the content is prescriptive-ritual.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Responsibility is graded by action: consumption is treated as requiring a heavier regimen than the act of offering/providing.