Varaha Purana 8.37: Adhyaya 8, Shloka 37
Dialogue on the Ethical Limits of Subsistence and the Five Great Sacrifices
Dharmavyādha, Mātaṅga, and Prasanna
मत्सुता जीवघातस्य यदोढा त्वत्सुतेन च । तन्महत्त्वं च संजातं प्रायश्चित्तं तपोधन ॥ ८.३७ ॥
matsutā jīvaghātasya yadodhā tvatsutena ca | tanmahattvaṃ ca saṃjātaṃ prāyaścittaṃ tapodhana || 8.37 ||
मत्स्यसम्बन्धेन जीवघातो यदा, तथा तव सुतेनापि सम्बद्धः; तदा तस्य महत्त्वं प्रकटं भवति, तपोधन—तस्मात् प्रायश्चित्तं निर्दिश्यते॥
Varāha (default dialogue framework; explicit speaker not stated in the excerpt)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic integration of ethical discourse (harm to living beings) with the broader South Asian prāyaścitta tradition, where textual communities cataloged moral transgressions and corresponding remedial rites.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is ethical-ritual (jīvaghāta and prāyaścitta) rather than sacred geography.
The verse highlights the seriousness of harming living beings and signals that such an act calls for expiation (prāyaścitta), presenting accountability as a key philosophical instruction.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.