Varaha Purana 41.22 — Adhyaya 41, Shloka 22
Rite of the Varāha Dvādaśī Vow and an Exemplary Narrative on Expiation for Brahmin-Slaying
ततस्ते दुःखिताः सर्वे ययुः पितरमन्तिकम् । ऊचुश्च वचनं छेदं मृगहिंसामृते मुने ॥ ४१.२२ ॥
tataste duḥkhitāḥ sarve yayuḥ pitaram antikam | ūcuś ca vacanaṃ chedaṃ mṛgahiṃsāmṛte mune || 41.22 ||
അപ്പോൾ അവർ എല്ലാവരും ദുഃഖിതരായി പിതാവിന്റെ അടുക്കൽ ചെന്നു; മുനിയോട് ‘മുറിക്കൽയും മൃഗഹിംസയും ഞങ്ങൾ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നു’ എന്നു വചനം പറഞ്ഞു.
Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"When harm has occurred, the distressed offenders should approach the elder/authority and formally declare cessation from further violence and destructive acts as the first step toward expiation.","karmic_consequence":"Confession and a vow of non-violence mitigate demerit and open the way to purification; concealment and continued हिंसा deepen pāpa and future suffering."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Ethical discipline (ahiṃsā) and moral repair","core_concept":"Remorse plus resolve (saṅkalpa) to abandon हिंसा is a necessary precondition for prāyaścitta and inner purification.","practical_application":"After causing harm—especially to vulnerable beings—seek guidance, confess plainly, and adopt concrete restraints (non-violence, non-cutting/destructive conduct)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ecological Narratives"]
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: hermitage/household of a ṛṣi
Related Themes: 41.41.23 (explicit confession and request for prāyaścitta); 41.41.25–26 (prescribed discipline and forest practice)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A group of distressed youths approach their father-sage near the hermitage, hands folded, declaring they will abstain from cutting and from harming animals.","item_prompts":["forest hermitage hut","sage seated with kamaṇḍalu and staff","sons with folded hands","deer in the background (symbol of the harmed beings)","somber faces indicating remorse"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: earthy palette, stylized āśrama grove, the sage in calm śānta-bhāva, youths in karuṇa-bhāva with añjali-mudrā, clear linework and ornamental foliage.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central seated sage with halo, sons in symmetrical arrangement offering añjali, rich textiles, minimal forest cues, gold-leaf emphasis on sanctity and confession.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate shading, refined expressions of remorse, detailed hermitage objects (kamaṇḍalu, kuśa grass), soft forest depth.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical forest setting with layered greens, small hermitage, expressive faces, narrative clarity with deer silhouettes in distance."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"penitential and restrained","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, grave, and compassionate"}
FAQs
It reflects a recurring Purāṇic concern with regulated conduct—especially restraint from harm—presented through a narrative appeal to authority figures (father/sage) within the text’s didactic framework.
No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse fragment.
The verse foregrounds restraint: refraining from cutting (cheda) and from violence toward animals (mṛga-hiṃsā), presented as a corrective response by distressed speakers.
Ask anything about this verse
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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.