Varaha Purana 136.76: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 76
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
Uttara Bhāga · Karmic Consequence of Improper Ritual Conduct
करोति मम कर्माणि स्पृशते मां तदा स्थितः ॥ मृगो वै जायते देवि वर्षाणि त्रीणि सप्त च ॥
karoti mama karmāṇi spṛśate māṃ tadā sthitaḥ | mṛgo vai jāyate devi varṣāṇi trīṇi sapta ca ||
karoti mama karmANi spRRishate mAM tadA sthitaH || mRRigo vai jAyate devi varShANi trINi sapta cha
అతడు అక్కడ నిలిచి నా కర్మలను చేసి నన్ను స్పృశిస్తాడు; అప్పుడు, హే దేవీ, అతడు నిజంగా మృగముగా జన్మించి మూడు మరియు ఏడు సంవత్సరాలు (అర్థాత్ ఏడు సంవత్సరాల కాలం) ఉండును।
Varāha
Concerned/curious about consequences of ritual faults
What rebirth results from performing the Lord’s rites while in a state of impurity and ‘touching’ the deity/earth improperly?
Ritual acts done with negligence (pramāda) can invert merit into demerit, shaping the next embodiment.
Before worship: ensure bodily/cloth purity, correct procedure, and mindful reverence; avoid casual handling of deity/altar/earth during rites.
Varāha speaks to Devī (Bhū) about the karmic result of impure contact while performing his rites (‘touches me’).
Impure performance of the Lord’s rites, involving improper contact (‘touching me’), yields animal rebirth.
Rebirth as a deer for a specified term (‘three and seven years’ in the received phrasing, commonly understood as seven years/for a period counted as 3+7).
Varāha Purāṇa 136.83 (cause: impure/borrowed garment); Varāha Purāṇa 136.85 (further embodied consequences); Varāha Purāṇa 136.86–87 (remedy via prāyaścitta and vrata)
FAQs
It demonstrates how Purāṇic texts encode ritual propriety through narrative consequence, using rebirth imagery as a moral-educational device.
No geographic location is identified.
Ritual engagement is portrayed as requiring proper conditions; improper conduct is linked to adverse karmic outcomes.
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