Varaha Purana 7.16: Adhyaya 7, Shloka 16
The Sanctity of Gayā: Raibhya’s Encounter and Hymn to Viṣṇu
Gadādhara
Pūrva Bhāga · Narrative Dialogue (Identity and Ethical Appraisal)
सीता उवाच । अहं सीतस्ते जनकोऽस्मि तात नाम्ना च वृत्तेन च कर्मणा च । अयं च मे जनको रक्तवर्णो नृशंसकृद् ब्रह्महा पापकामी ॥ ७.१६ ॥
sītā uvāca | ahaṃ sītās te janako ’smi tāta nāmnā ca vṛttena ca karmaṇā ca | ayaṃ ca me janako raktavarṇo nṛśaṃsakṛd brahmahā pāpakāmī || 7.16 ||
sita uvAcha | ahaM sitaste janako.asmi tAta nAmnA cha vRRittena cha karmaNA cha | ayaM cha me janako raktavarNo nRRishaMsakRRid brahmahA pApakArI || 7.16 ||
సీత పలికెను—నేను సీతను; ఓ బిడ్డా, నామముచేత, స్వభావముచేత, కర్మముచేత నేను నీ తండ్రినే. ఇతడు నా జనకుడు, రక్తవర్ణుడు—నృశంసకారి, బ్రాహ్మణహంతకుడు, పాపకామి.
Sandhi Notes
- जनकोऽस्मि = जनकः + अस्मि
- सीतास्ते = सीतः + ते (visarga sandhi)
Sītā
How should kinship and identity be understood when one’s lineage is stained by cruel, brahmahatyā-like transgression and deliberate sin?
Identity is ethically constituted: ‘name, conduct, and deeds’ define a person more truly than mere relational labels.
Assess oneself and one’s affiliations by dhārmic conduct; avoid complicity with cruelty and brahmahatyā-type acts; seek purification through right action.
Brahmahatyā and nṛśaṃsa (cruelty) are presented as grave adharma that taints one’s moral identity beyond mere name/kinship claims.
Such sins lead to severe post-mortem suffering and social/religious demerit; purity is measured by conduct and karma, not only by birth-claims.
7.7.18 (Avīci for sinners); 7.7.19–20 (ritual remediation via Gayā/śrāddha)
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic narrative technique in which identity and moral evaluation are expressed through compact ethical epithets, illustrating how conduct (vṛtta) and action (karma) function as markers of character in Sanskrit textual culture.
No geographic location is specified in this verse fragment; it is focused on personal identity and ethical characterization rather than sacred geography.
The verse foregrounds ethical assessment through conduct and deeds, contrasting socially sanctioned behavior with severe transgression (e.g., brahmahā) and cruelty (nṛśaṃsakṛt) as negative moral categories.
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