Varaha Purana 136.75: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 75
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
यः पारक्येण वस्त्रेण न धूतेन च माधवि ॥ प्रायश्चित्ती भवेनमूर्खो मम कर्मपरायणः ॥
yaḥ pārakyena vastreṇa na dhūtena ca mādhavi | prāyaścittī bhaven mūrkho mama karmaparāyaṇaḥ ||
हे माधवी, जो परक्याच्या वस्त्राने व न धुतलेल्या वस्त्राने माझी कर्मे करतो, तो माझ्या कर्मांत परायण असला तरी मूर्ख होऊन प्रायश्चित्ताचा अधिकारी होतो।
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"earth_rescue","earth_interaction":"Instruction to Bhū-devī (addressed as Mādhavī) on ritual purity and fault in worship."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"attentive, receiving dharma-instruction on purity and expiation","key_question":"What is the fault and required expiation when one performs the Lord’s rites with an unwashed/borrowed garment?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Do not perform Viṣṇu/Varāha-rites in another’s garment or in an unwashed garment; such impurity incurs prāyaścitta.","karmic_consequence":"Violation makes the worshipper ‘prāyaścittī’ (liable to expiation) and spiritually deluded despite ritual zeal."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-ethics in worship","core_concept":"Bhakti does not cancel basic śauca (purity); intention must be matched by correct means.","practical_application":"Use one’s own clean, washed clothing for pūjā/vrata; treat external discipline as support for inner devotion."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Purity","Prāyaścitta"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bībhatsa
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.84–87 (karmaphala and prāyaścitta leading to a Māgha-śukla-dvādaśī observance)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha in a calm teaching posture addresses Bhū-devī about ritual purity, with a symbolic contrast between clean folded cloth and a borrowed/soiled garment.","item_prompts":["Varāha with gentle authoritative gesture (upadeśa-mudrā)","Bhū-devī seated/listening with folded hands","two cloth bundles: one bright/washed, one dull/borrowed","pūjā items: water pot (kalaśa), conch, lamp"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: earthy reds/ochres, Varāha as divine teacher with ornate jewelry; Bhū-devī serene; emphasize clean vs soiled cloth as narrative symbols.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: gold-leaf halo for Varāha, rich textiles; highlight the ‘washed cloth’ with bright whites and gilded borders; temple-pūjā setting.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, restrained palette; intimate instruction scene with detailed ritual vessels and textiles.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical hillside court-like setting; Varāha and Bhū-devī in quiet discourse; cloth bundles rendered with soft shading and narrative clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, cautionary","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, instructive, slightly admonitory"}
FAQs
It records purity norms associated with ritual performance, reflecting broader South Asian material-culture ethics (cleanliness, ownership, suitability).
No geographic location is mentioned in this verse.
Proper means and cleanliness in ritual context are emphasized; devotion alone is not presented as sufficient without correct practice.
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