Varaha Purana 199.37 — Adhyaya 199, Shloka 37
Description of the Torments of Rebirth: The Asipatravana Punishment and the Mechanics of Karmic Retribution
क्वचित्स्थूलैस्तथा बद्धः उद्बद्धश्च क्वचित्तथा॥ हाहाभयानकोन्मिश्रः शब्दोऽश्रूयत दारुणः॥
kvacit sthūlais tathā baddhaḥ udbaddhaś ca kvacit tathā || hāhābhayānakonmiśraḥ śabdo 'śrūyata dāruṇaḥ
บางแห่งมีผู้ถูกมัดด้วยพันธนาการหนาแน่น บางแห่งก็ถูกแก้ออกอีกครั้ง; ได้ยินเสียงอันดารุณปนด้วยเสียงร้อง “ฮา ฮา” และความหวาดกลัว
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"earth_interaction":"Varāha continues instruction to Bhū-devī through observation-reporting; emphasizes fear-sounds and bondage imagery."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"distressed, contemplative about bondage (bandhana) caused by adharma","key_question":"How does sin bind beings, and what is the nature of terror and captivity in naraka?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"narakas","instruction_summary":"Adharma results in bondage and coercive punishment; liberation requires dharmic conduct and inner discipline.","karmic_consequence":"The condemned are tightly bound, then unbound only to face renewed terror; the soundscape is filled with ‘hā hā’ cries and fear."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Bondage/unbondage functions as an allegory for saṃsāric bandhana driven by karma and kleśas; naraka dramatizes the ‘tightening’ of pāśa (fetters) when dharma is violated.","vedantic_connection":"Vedāntic/Upaniṣadic motif of bondage by avidyā and release by knowledge; here presented negatively as karmic fetters rather than mokṣa."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bondage and release (bandha-mokṣa) in ethical frame","core_concept":"Karma binds like ropes; momentary relief without reform leads back to fear—true release is ethical and spiritual transformation.","practical_application":"Cultivate self-restraint, truthful living, and devotion; treat ‘fear of consequence’ as a spur toward lasting inner change, not temporary avoidance."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Afterlife Imagery","Captivity and Fear"]
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: otherworldly carceral zone
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 199 (bandhana imagery)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A hell-prison where some are tied with thick ropes, others momentarily released, while the air reverberates with terror and ‘hā hā’ cries.","item_prompts":["thick ropes/chains","bound figures seated or dragged","a few figures being untied","dark corridor or yard","echo suggested by repeated crying faces/gestures"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Architectural framing like a corridor; bold rope patterns; repeated ‘hā hā’ expressions; limited palette with strong contrast; Varāha as distant narrator optional.","tanjore_prompt":"Ornamental prison-arch motif with gold border; ropes rendered as embossed curves; figures stylized, emphasis on narrative clarity over gore.","mysore_prompt":"Detailed rope texture and subdued lighting; expressive eyes; focus on psychological fear rather than explicit violence.","pahari_prompt":"Linear, storybook prison scene; patterned ropes; small repeated figures to show ‘here and there’; emphasis on sound through gesture and composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"oppressive, echoing","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"deep, resonant, with lingering pauses to mimic echoes"}
FAQs
It demonstrates a narrative technique common to Purāṇas: alternating states (bound/unbound) and intense auditory cues to heighten moral seriousness.
No terrestrial location appears; the verse describes conditions within an infernal setting.
The verse presents fear and restraint as consequences within the text’s ethical storytelling, discouraging actions labeled as wrongdoing.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in 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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.