Varaha Purana 136.39: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 39

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

स्वयं तिष्ठन्ति वै तत्र मनुजा विगतस्पृहाः ॥ तत्र गृह्य कपालानि रम तत्रैव शङ्कर ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 136.39

Transliteration

svayaṁ tiṣṭhanti vai tatra manujā vigataspṛhāḥ || tatra gṛhya kapālāni rama tatraiva śaṅkara ||

Translation

स्वयं तिष्ठन्ति वै तत्र मनुजा विगतस्पृहाः। तत्र गृह्य कपालानि रम तत्रैव, हे शङ्कर॥

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Word by Word

• svayam: of oneself

• tiṣṭhanti: they stand/remain

• vai: indeed

• tatra: there

• manujāḥ: humans

• vigata-spṛhāḥ: free from desire

• gṛhya: having taken

• kapālāni: skull(-bowls)

• rama: dwell/sport

• tatraiva: in that very place

• śaṅkara: Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Ritual Atonement

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a widespread Purāṇic and Śaiva narrative motif in which cremation-ground (śmaśāna) settings and skull-bowls (kapāla) signify liminal ritual space and themes of transgression and purification.

Which geographic location is identified?

A specific named location is not supplied in this verse; it refers generally to a śmaśāna-like setting (“there”), requiring broader chapter context for identification.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the ideal of desirelessness (vigataspṛhā) and frames a disciplined dwelling in a liminal space as part of a larger purification narrative.