Varaha Purana 132.3 — Adhyaya 132, Shloka 3
Expiatory Rites for Contact with a Corpse and with a Menstruating Woman
धरण्युवाच ॥ किमिदं भाषसे देव धर्मं भीषणसङ्कटम् ॥ कथमेवं पुमान्वै स रेतःपानपरो भवेत् ॥
dharaṇy uvāca | kim idaṃ bhāṣase deva dharmaṃ bhīṣaṇa-saṅkaṭam | katham evaṃ pumān vai sa retaḥ-pāna-paro bhavet ||
พระธรณีกล่าวว่า “ข้าแต่เทวะ ท่านตรัสสิ่งใดเล่า—ธรรมะอันน่าหวาดหวั่นและคับขันยิ่ง? ชายคนหนึ่งจักเป็นผู้หมกมุ่นในการดื่มน้ำกามได้อย่างไร?”
Dharaṇī (Pṛthivī)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"questioner","bhu_devi_state":"distressed, alarmed, morally shocked; seeking clarification on a perilous teaching","key_question":"How can such a ‘terribly perilous dharma’ be spoken of, and by what process could a man become addicted to semen-drinking (retas-pāna)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into a grievous, socially dangerous transgression and demands doctrinal clarification before any rule/penance is accepted.","karmic_consequence":"Implied: such conduct is ‘bhīṣaṇa-saṅkaṭa’ (perilous) and leads to severe impurity and suffering unless corrected by right teaching and expiation."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethical inquiry (dharma-vicāra)","core_concept":"Dharma must be tested by its moral peril and social harm; shocking claims require scrutiny through śāstric reasoning and teacherly clarification.","practical_application":"When confronted with deviant ‘dharma’ claims, seek authoritative explanation, assess harm, and do not normalize transgressive practices."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Dharma-śāstra","Social Conduct"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 132.4–132.7 (Varāha’s confidential instruction, definition of wrongful conduct, karmaphala, and prāyaścitta)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Bhū Devī, personified as a dignified yet troubled goddess, questions the Lord about a frightening, socially corrosive ‘dharma’.","item_prompts":["Bhū Devī with anxious expression","gesture of questioning (añjali or raised hand)","scriptural setting (palm-leaf manuscripts)","aura of moral gravity (darkened background, stormy tone)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Bhū Devī in traditional ornaments, expressive eyes showing alarm; warm earth-tones; minimal background with manuscript motif; restrained, didactic composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: Bhū Devī frontal, rich jewelry; gold-leaf halo; manuscript and lotus; emphasis on solemnity rather than action.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading; Bhū Devī in calm posture but worried face; subtle courtly interior with manuscript stand.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical hillside palette; Bhū Devī seated on lotus/earth-mound, speaking to an unseen teacher; emphasis on emotion and dialogue."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave, interrogative, cautionary","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"firm, concerned, with clear enunciation of the ethical shock"}
FAQs
It preserves a frank register of bodily/sexual misconduct found in some Dharma-śāstric and Purāṇic discussions, indicating the breadth of ethical topics addressed.
No geographic location is specified here; the verse is ethical and interrogative rather than topographical.
The verse signals that certain behaviors are treated as grave ethical crises and require clarification and corrective discipline.
Ask anything about this verse
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