Varaha Purana 136.46: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 46

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Uttara Bhāga · Śmaśāna Description and Ritual Preconditions

Devanagari script

एतत्ते कथितं भद्रे श्मशानं मे जुगुप्सितम् ॥ विना तु कृतसंस्कारो मम कर्मपरायणः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 136.46

Transliteration

etat te kathitaṁ bhadre śmaśānaṁ me jugupsitam || vinā tu kṛtasaṁskāro mama karmaparāyaṇaḥ ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

To zostało ci opowiedziane, o łagodna: cmentarz jest mi obrzydliwy. Jednak bez odbycia przepisanych obrzędów, pozostaję oddany wypełnianiu obowiązku.

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Word by Word

• etat: this

• te: to you

• kathitam: told

• bhadre: O auspicious/gentle one

• śmaśānam: cremation-ground

• me: to me

• jugupsitam: detestable/repulsive

• vinā: without

• tu: however

• kṛta-saṁskāraḥ: having performed the rites/initiatory purifications

• mama: my

• karma-parāyaṇaḥ: devoted to action/duty

Speaker and setting

Bibhatsa and Shanta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Attentive, seeking clarity on dharma amid repulsive/impure settings

What she asks

How should one relate to the cremation-ground and still remain devoted to prescribed duty/saṃskāra?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Karma-yoga / dharma-priority

Subjects

EthicsRitual PracticeCultural Heritage

Core idea

Disgust or aversion does not license abandonment of dharma; right action (saṃskāra) is the means to restore order amid impurity

In practice

Perform obligatory rites even in unpleasant contexts; regulate contact with impurity through prescribed procedures rather than avoidance or indulgence

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Direct address to Bhū-devī (‘bhadre’), instructing her on ritual-ethical stance toward śmaśāna

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Dharma Discourse
• Purāṇic Ritualism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents the tension between aversion to impurity and commitment to prescribed duty, a recurring theme in Dharma-oriented Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

The cremation-ground (śmaśāna) is mentioned generically; no specific locality is named in the excerpt.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Even when a setting is considered impure or undesirable, adherence to proper rites (saṁskāra) and duty (karma) is presented as the regulating principle.