Varaha Purana 136.116: Adhyaya 136, Shloka 116
A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions
गृध्रस्तु सप्त वर्षाणि जायते खचरॆश्वरः ॥ चरन्तौ मानुषं मांसमुभौ तौ गृध्रजम्बुकौ ॥
gṛdhras tu sapta varṣāṇi jāyate khacareśvaraḥ || carantau mānuṣaṁ māṁsam ubhau tau gṛdhrajambukau
แร้งนั้นตลอดเจ็ดปีเกิดเป็นเจ้าเหนือหมู่ผู้ท่องนภา; และทั้งสอง—แร้งกับหมาไน—พากันเร่ร่อนกินเนื้อมนุษย์
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha begins prescribing a prāyaścitta within the dialogue frame addressed to Devī/Bhū."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Varāha announces an expiation that frees from sin, to be observed on the śukla-pakṣa dvādaśī of any month.","karmic_consequence":"Observance leads to release from kīlbiṣa (sin); neglect leaves the stain of sin operative (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Dvādaśī-prāyaścitta (Ākāśa-śayana framed in subsequent verses)","tithi_month":"Śukla-pakṣa Dvādaśī of any month","promised_fruit":"Mucyate kīlbiṣāt—freedom from sin (rapidly, per continuation)."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"moral repair (prāyaścitta)","core_concept":"Even after wrongdoing, dharma provides structured means of purification and re-alignment.","practical_application":"Mark śukla-dvādaśī; undertake the prescribed observance with intention of purification and restraint."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karmic Consequences","Narrative Motifs"]
Primary Rasa: Śānta
Secondary Rasa: Karुणा
Type: ritual-time (tithi) instruction
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.136.11 (ākāśa-śayana) as the operative method for this prāyaścitta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as dharma-teacher announcing a specific expiation tied to the bright-fortnight Dvādaśī; a ritual calendar motif is implied.","item_prompts":["Varāha instructing with raised hand","Bhū Devī listening","lunar fortnight diagram or crescent-to-full motif","ritual items: water pot, darbha grass, simple mat"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha in teaching posture; stylized moon-phase band above; ritual items neatly arranged.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold haloed Varāha; decorative lunar emblem; ritual vessels with gold highlights.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined courtly rendering; subtle moon iconography; clean ritual still-life elements.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: intimate indoor/outdoor teaching scene; delicate moon in sky; minimal ritual props."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional, purifying","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, reassuring, authoritative"}
FAQs
It illustrates a Purāṇic narrative technique: moral causality is conveyed through striking rebirth imagery and liminal beings (aerial lordship, scavenging).
No geographic location is specified.
By depicting disturbing consequences, it functions as a cautionary motif about transgressive behavior and its karmic aftermath.
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