Varaha Purana 71.46: Adhyaya 71, Shloka 46
Vision of the Trimūrti in Rudra, the Gautama Curse, the Manifestation of the Godāvarī, and the Niḥśvāsa-saṃhitā Account
Pūrva Bhāga · Pitṛ-karma and Phala-śruti (ancestral rites and stated results)
स्वर्गं गच्छन्ति पितरो निरये पतिता अपि । स्वर्गस्थाः पितरस्तस्य मुक्तिभाजो न संशयः ॥ ७१.४६ ॥
svargaṃ gacchanti pitaro niraye patitā api | svargasthāḥ pitaras tasya muktibhājo na saṃśayaḥ || 71.46 ||
svargaM gachChanti pitaro niraye patitA api | svargasthAH pitarastasya muktibhAjo na saMshayaH || 71.46 ||
నరకస్థితిలో పడిపోయిన పితృులైనా స్వర్గానికి చేరుతారు; ఆ వ్యక్తి పితృులు స్వర్గస్థులై మోక్షభాగ్యులు అవుతారు—సందేహం లేదు।
Sandhi Notes
- मुक्तिभाजो = मुक्ति + भाजः (समासान्त/रूप-परिवर्तन in inflection)
Varāha
Intergenerational karmic linkage: descendants’ dharmic acts can transform ancestors’ post-mortem trajectory.
Maintain pitṛyajña (tarpaṇa/śrāddha) with faith and correctness, especially at potent tīrthas and times, as an act of compassion and duty.
Pitṛ-tarpaṇa at the praised tīrtha can elevate even hell-fallen ancestors to heaven and make them fit for liberation.
Performance yields extraordinary pitṛ-uplift (naraka-to-svarga) and confers enduring merit; neglect implies loss of this salvific opportunity.
Varāha Purāṇa 71.71.45 (Siṃhastha snāna + tarpaṇa as the means)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic literary motif: the efficacy of prescribed rites and merits extending beyond the individual to ancestors, illustrating how Purāṇas integrated ritual culture with broader soteriological claims.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it is doctrinal/ritual in focus rather than topographical.
The verse underscores responsibility toward ancestors: one’s meritorious acts (implied by the surrounding pitṛ-context) are presented as benefiting forebears, even if they are described as being in adverse post-mortem conditions.
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.
