Varaha Purana 136.73 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 73

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

भक्षणे तु कृते कुर्याच्चान्द्रायणमतन्द्रितः ॥ प्रापणे तु कृते कुर्याद्द्वादशाहं पयोव्रतम् ॥

Transliteration

bhakṣaṇe tu kṛte kuryāc cāndrāyaṇam atandritaḥ | prāpaṇe tu kṛte kuryād dvādaśāhaṃ payovratam ||

Translation

اگر کھا لیا گیا ہو تو سستی کیے بغیر چاندْرایَن ورت ادا کرے؛ اور اگر صرف بھینٹ فراہم کی گئی ہو تو بارہ دن کا دودھ کا ورت (پَیَو ورت) کرے۔

Word by Word

• bhakṣaṇa: eating/consumption

• tu: but/indeed

• kṛte: when done

• kuryāt: should do

• cāndrāyaṇa: lunar-regulated expiatory observance

• atandrita: diligent/untiring

• prāpaṇa: providing/offering

• dvādaśāha: twelve days

• payo-vrata: milk-vow (dietary observance)

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha issues a graded prāyaścitta ruling, distinguishing between consuming the item and merely offering/providing it."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"instructed, reassured by clarity","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"If the prohibited act involved eating, perform Cāndrāyaṇa; if it was only providing/offering, perform a twelve-day payovrata.","karmic_consequence":"Correctly matched expiation neutralizes the fault proportionate to the act; failure to expiate leaves the doṣa operative."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Payovrata (twelve-day milk vow)","tithi_month":"Twelve days; specific lunar timing not stated","promised_fruit":"Removal of the lesser fault (prāpaṇa/offer-provision) and restoration of ritual purity."}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethical proportionality","core_concept":"Dharma applies proportionate remedies: intention and degree of participation (eating vs offering) determine the corrective burden.","practical_application":"Assess the exact nature of one’s lapse; adopt the corresponding discipline (Cāndrāyaṇa for heavier involvement; payovrata for lighter), and complete it without negligence (atandritaḥ)."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Discipline","Prāyaścitta"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: vīra

Geographic Context

Type: None

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.82.0 (fruit of performing the procedure)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha pronounces a two-tier expiation: a rigorous lunar fast for eating, and a twelve-day milk vow for offering; the scene feels like a dharma court of conscience.","item_prompts":["Varāha with teaching gesture","two symbolic panels: moon phases (for Cāndrāyaṇa) and a milk pot (for payovrata)","ascetic implements (kamandalu, darbha)","Bhūdevī listening attentively"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha as dharma-instructor; stylized crescent-to-full moon band above; white milk pot motif; earthy reds and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-highlighted moon disc sequence; ornate milk vessel; Varāha with jeweled crown; embossed details on ritual items.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: delicate rendering of lunar phases and a silver-toned milk pot; calm interior temple setting; emphasis on clarity and order.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: minimalistic symbols—moon arc and milk pot beside the figures; soft landscape; contemplative mood."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"legalistic, precise, corrective","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"measured","voice_tone":"crisp, authoritative, non-dramatic"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Dharma Practice
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ritual Fasting Traditions

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents standardized expiation categories (Cāndrāyaṇa, payovrata) that are also known from wider Sanskrit legal-ritual literature, showing cross-genre continuity.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned; the content is prescriptive-ritual.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Responsibility is graded by action: consumption is treated as requiring a heavier regimen than the act of offering/providing.