Varaha Purana 136.3 — Adhyaya 136, Shloka 3

A Sūtra-like Manual of Expiations for Ritual Transgressions

Devanagari script

चाण्डालस्य गृहे तत्र एवमेतन्न संशयः ॥ एवं भुक्त्वा तु तत्कर्म मम क्षेत्रे मृतो यदि

Transliteration

cāṇḍālasya gṛhe tatra evam etan na saṁśayaḥ | evaṁ bhuktvā tu tat karma mama kṣetre mṛto yadi ||

Translation

Tại đó, người ấy sinh trong nhà của một caṇḍāla—đúng như vậy, không nghi ngờ. Và nếu sau khi chịu quả báo của hành vi ấy như thế, người ấy chết trong thánh vực của Ta, thì…

Word by Word

• cāṇḍālasya: of a caṇḍāla

• gṛhe: in the house

• tatra: there

• evam: thus

• etat: this

• na saṁśayaḥ: no doubt

• evaṁ: thus

• bhuktvā: having experienced/undergone

• tat: that

• karma: act/deed

• mama: my

• kṣetre: in the sacred field/domain

• mṛtaḥ: dead

• yadi: if

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Implicit continuation of instruction to Bhū-devī; introduces ‘my sacred domain’ (mama kṣetra) as spiritually decisive."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Varāha-kṣetra (unspecified within the verse; treated as ‘mama kṣetra’)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"Indirect: kṣetra-mahātmyas in Mathurā-maṇḍala often culminate in Bhāgavata devotion; this verse anticipates salvific power of sacred land later associated with Vaiṣṇava centers."}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"As a result of the offence one is born in a caṇḍāla’s house; yet dying within Varāha’s kṣetra becomes a turning point for future uplift.","karmic_consequence":"Socially degraded birth as karmic ripening; death in the deity’s kṣetra mitigates and redirects destiny toward devotion (expanded in next verse)."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Kṣetra functions as ‘embodied grace’: even when karma yields low birth, contact with the deity’s land reorients the jīva—showing the avatāra’s salvific field (kṣetra-śakti).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"‘Mama kṣetra’ parallels yajña-vedi: a bounded sacred space where impurities are transmuted by divine presence.","vedantic_connection":"Grace (anugraha) can operate through place and devotion, softening karmic determinism without denying moral causality."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Kṣetra-māhātmya / Grace","core_concept":"Sacred geography mediates divine compassion: place can become a conduit for purification and future bhakti.","practical_application":"Seek residence, pilgrimage, or final remembrance in a Vaiṣṇava kṣetra; combine with repentance and devotion rather than relying on place alone."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: भयानक

Secondary Rasa: शान्त

Geographic Context

Type: sacred domain/kṣetra

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 136.4 (rebirth as devotee in Bhāgavata household)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A karmic narrative: a person born in a caṇḍāla household due to offence, and a contrasting scene of that person dying within Varāha’s sacred domain, hinting at redemption.","item_prompts":["two-part narrative composition","humble hut indicating caṇḍāla household","boundary marker/temple signifying ‘kṣetra’","Varāha emblem or shrine","funerary/last-breath motif rendered respectfully"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Panelled storytelling with clear spatial separation: ‘impure birth’ scene in darker tones; ‘kṣetra death’ scene luminous with shrine motif.","tanjore_prompt":"Shrine of Varāha with gold-leaf emphasis; the devotee’s final moment shown serenely; avoid harsh realism.","mysore_prompt":"Balanced narrative realism; sacred domain shown as temple courtyard with gentle light; social setting indicated subtly.","pahari_prompt":"Miniature-style split scene with architectural cues; soft landscape around the kṣetra; emphasis on moral narrative."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative, caution-to-hope","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"measured, storytelling"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Sacred Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows how Purāṇic texts combine social imagery and sacred-geographic concepts (‘kṣetra’) to articulate consequences and possible transitions toward purification.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse mentions ‘mama kṣetre’ (“in my sacred domain”) but does not specify a named location; it functions as a generic sacred-territory marker within the text.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

That actions have consequences across social and spatial registers, and that dying within a designated ‘kṣetra’ is presented as a significant condition in the narrative logic.