Varaha Purana 136.116: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 116

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Uttara Bhāga · Prāyaścitta and karmic consequences (animal rebirth motif)

Devanagari script

गृध्रस्तु सप्त वर्षाणि जायते खचरॆश्वरः ॥ चरन्तौ मानुषं मांसमुभौ तौ गृध्रजम्बुकौ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 136.116

Transliteration

gṛdhras tu sapta varṣāṇi jāyate khacareśvaraḥ || carantau mānuṣaṁ māṁsam ubhau tau gṛdhrajambukau

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Um abutre, por sete anos, nasce como senhor entre os que se movem no céu; e esses dois—o abutre e o chacal—vagueiam alimentando-se de carne humana.

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Word by Word

• gṛdhraḥ: vulture
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Root: gṛdhra (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: indeed/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक-निपात
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• sapta: seven
• Type: Adjective
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्गे ‘वर्षाणि’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
• Role: Karma (कर्म/measure qualifier)
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)

• varṣāṇi: years
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), बहुवचन; कालपरिमाण (duration)
• Role: Kāla-adhikarana (काल-अधिकरण/duration)
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• jāyate: is born/becomes
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Root: jan (धातु)

• khacara-īśvaraḥ: lord of birds/sky-goers
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘खचराणाम् ईश्वरः’ = lord of sky-goers/birds)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/apposition)
• Root: khacara (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)

• carantau: wandering/eating (habitually)
• Type: Verb
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), द्विवचन; ‘उभौ तौ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/agent qualifier)
• Root: car (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्)

• mānuṣam: human
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘मांसम्’
• Role: Karma (कर्म/object qualifier)
• Root: mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• māṁsam: flesh/meat
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Root: māṁsa (प्रातिपदिक)

• ubhau: both
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् ‘तौ’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/qualifier)
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)

• tau: those two
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• gṛdhra-jambukau: the vulture and the jackal
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता/apposition)
• Root: gṛdhra (प्रातिपदिक) + jambuka (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• गृध्रस्तु = गृध्रः + तु
• खचरॆश्वरः = खचर-ईश्वरः (स्वर-सन्धि)
• गृध्रजम्बुकौ = गृध्र-जम्बुकौ (द्वन्द्व)

Speaker and setting

Shanta rasaSetting: Ritual-time (tithi) instruction

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Moral repair (prāyaścitta)

Subjects

EthicsKarmic ConsequencesNarrative Motifs

Core idea

Even after wrongdoing, dharma provides structured means of purification and re-alignment.

In practice

Mark śukla-dvādaśī; undertake the prescribed observance with intention of purification and restraint.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha begins prescribing a prāyaścitta within the dialogue frame addressed to Devī/Bhū.

Dharma

Vrata

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Karma and Rebirth

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a Purāṇic narrative technique: moral causality is conveyed through striking rebirth imagery and liminal beings (aerial lordship, scavenging).

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is specified.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

By depicting disturbing consequences, it functions as a cautionary motif about transgressive behavior and its karmic aftermath.