Varaha Purana 68.17 — Adhyaya 68, Shloka 17

Dharma Across the Four Yugas, the Disruption of Social Conduct, and Ritual Purification from Varṇa-Mixing Transgressions

Devanagari script

बहुनाऽपि हि कालेन यत् पापं समुपार्जितम् । वर्णसङ्करसङ्गत्या ब्राह्मणेन नरर्षभ ॥ ६८.१७ ॥

Transliteration

bahunā’pi hi kālena yat pāpaṃ samupārjitam | varṇasaṅkarasaṅgatyā brāhmaṇena nararṣabha || 68.17 ||

Translation

Wahai insan termulia, apa jua pāpa yang telah dihimpun oleh seorang brāhmaṇa dalam masa yang panjang, ia terjadi kerana pergaulan yang berkaitan dengan varṇa-saṅkara (percampuran varṇa).

Word by Word

• bahunā: by much/with long
• bahunā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃ/Napuṃ (contextual), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana; used adverbially with kālena

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; sambhāvanā/samuccaya particle (also/even)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; hetu-nidarśana particle (emphatic/for)

• kālena: by time / over time
• kālena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana

• yat: which/that
• yat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग, Prathamā/Accusative singular (context: object ‘that sin which’); relative pronoun

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग, Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana; here as object with samupārjitam (acquired)

• sam-upārjitam: accumulated
• sam-upārjitam: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate to pāpam)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + upa + ṛj (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta; bhūta-kṛdanta (past passive participle), ktá; Napuṃsaka, Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana agreeing with pāpam; ‘accumulated/acquired’

• varṇa-saṅkara-saṅgatyā: by association with caste-mixture
• varṇa-saṅkara-saṅgatyā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅkara (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅgati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa chain: varṇānāṃ saṅkaraḥ (mixing of castes) tasya saṅgatiḥ (association)

• brāhmaṇena: by a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; agent/instrument in context

• nara-ṛṣabha: O bull among men
• nara-ṛṣabha: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana vibhakti (8th/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: naraḥ eva ṛṣabhaḥ (bull among men)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"concerned about social-ethical causes of long-term demerit","key_question":"How does prolonged association leading to varṇa-saṅkara generate accumulated pāpa for a brāhmaṇa, and what is its moral weight?"}

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":"varnashrama","instruction_summary":"A brāhmaṇa accrues grave, long-standing demerit through association that promotes/participates in varṇa-mixture (varṇa-saṅkara) and its social-ritual disorder.","karmic_consequence":"Avoidance preserves dharma, lineage-duties, and ritual clarity; indulgence leads to accumulated pāpa, loss of adhikāra, and social/ritual degradation."}

Vrata Mahatmya

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

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":"ethics-of-association (saṅga)","core_concept":"Saṅga (company/affiliation) shapes karma over time; social-ritual disorder is treated as a cumulative ethical stain.","practical_application":"Choose associations that support svadharma, study, and purity; avoid environments that normalize transgressive conduct and dharma-confusion."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Social conduct","Dharma discourse"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 68.68.20 (positive purity-maintaining disciplines)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha admonishes with a grave, cautionary gesture; Bhū-devī appears troubled, reflecting the weight of social-ethical consequences of harmful association.","item_prompts":["Varāha teaching with raised hand (abhaya/niyama gesture)","Bhū-devī with concerned expression","two groups symbolizing wholesome vs unwholesome company","scroll showing 'dharma' vs 'adharma'"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong facial expressions, Varāha’s instructive mudrā, Bhū-devī anxious; background split into orderly ritual scene vs chaotic social scene.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate Varāha with authoritative stance, Bhū-devī subdued; gold-leaf highlights; symbolic balance scale of dharma vs pāpa.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant courtly composition; Varāha’s calm but firm gaze; Bhū-devī contemplative; subtle narrative vignettes behind.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative miniature with two contrasting social circles; Varāha pointing toward the righteous path; Bhū-devī reflective amid pastoral setting."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory, serious","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, measured, cautioning"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Dharma-śāstra Interface
• Vaiṣṇavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Dharma-śāstric ethical vocabulary embedded in Purāṇic narration, illustrating how later Sanskrit traditions framed social conduct and moral consequence using terms like pāpa (demerit) and saṅga (association).

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse fragment; the focus is ethical and social rather than topographical.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse cautions that long-accumulated moral fault (pāpa) is linked to problematic association (saṅgati), specifically framed here through the concept of varṇa-saṅkara.