Shloka 25
Expiatory Rites for Contact with a Corpse and with a Menstruating Woman
स्पृष्ट्वा तु मृतकं देवि यो मत्क्षेत्रेषु तिष्ठति ॥ शतवर्षसहस्राणि गर्भेषु परिवर्तते ॥
spṛṣṭvā tu mṛtakaṃ devi yo matkṣetreṣu tiṣṭhati || śatavarṣasahasrāṇi garbheṣu parivartate ||
ਹੇ ਦੇਵੀ, ਜੋ ਕੋਈ ਲਾਸ਼ ਨੂੰ ਛੂਹ ਕੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਖੇਤਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੀ ਟਿਕਿਆ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਲੱਖਾਂ-ਕਰੋੜਾਂ ਸਮਿਆਂ ਤੱਕ ਗਰਭਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਭਟਕਦਾ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Warns Bhū-devī about grave kṣetra-violation: remaining in the Lord’s precincts after corpse-contact, stressing sanctity of ‘mat-kṣetra’."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"alert, sobered by the gravity of kṣetra norms","key_question":"What are the consequences of impurity (corpse-contact) when one stays within the Lord’s sacred precincts without proper purification?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"After touching a corpse, one must not remain within the Lord’s kṣetra without due purification; violation incurs prolonged saṃsāric suffering.","karmic_consequence":"Breaker ‘revolves through wombs’ for an immense duration (śata-varṣa-sahasrāṇi), indicating heavy karmic bondage; compliance implies avoidance of such bondage (purification/exit implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-saṃsāra","core_concept":"Sacred space intensifies moral-ritual accountability; impurity plus negligence binds one to repeated birth.","practical_application":"Treat pilgrimage/temple precincts with heightened discipline: if impurity occurs, exit or perform prescribed śuddhi before re-entry and participation."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Conduct","Sacred Geography (Kṣetra norms)"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: kṣetra/temple-precinct (implied)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 132.28-132.29 (specific rebirth forms elaborating the penalty)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cautionary tableau: a person having touched a corpse stands within a sacred precinct while Varāha declares the dire consequence; Bhū-devī listens gravely.","item_prompts":["temple gateway/precinct boundary","corpse on bier (symbolic, discreet)","figure hesitating within precinct","Varāha pointing in admonition","darkened aura around offender vs. radiant sanctum"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized temple threshold, Varāha admonishing; keep corpse depiction symbolic (covered bier); strong contrast of sacred glow and shadowed impurity; Bhū-devī solemn.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: sanctum and arch in gold, offender near threshold; Varāha’s authoritative stance; use gold to emphasize kṣetra radiance, with muted tones for impurity scene.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: narrative clarity with refined expressions; depict threshold and covered bier; Varāha’s gesture of prohibition; Bhū-devī’s concerned gaze.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: compact narrative panel with temple courtyard; minimal but clear symbols (covered bier, threshold line); emphasis on moral drama through posture and spacing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave warning","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"low, stern, weighty"}
FAQs
The verse conveys kṣetra-based purity expectations, a common feature in Indian sacred geographies where certain spaces intensify norms of conduct.
No single site is named; the term matkṣetra indicates “the Lord’s sacred places/precincts” as a category rather than a specific location.
It warns against remaining in sacred precincts after corpse-contact without appropriate purification, using rebirth-duration as a deterrent motif.