Listen now to the sacred narrative as revealed in the Varaha Purana, where the consequences of unrighteous acts and the means of atonement are laid forth. It is said that when one falls into sin, his ancestors are deprived of sustenance for fifteen years, unable to partake of offerings. For such a person, righteousness is absent; this is certain, without doubt. Yet, O highly fortunate one, the Lord assures that atonement brings happiness to His devotees. By lying upon the ground beneath the open sky, purification is attained on the fourth day. Moreover, by drinking the five products of the cow, one is swiftly freed from sin. When all attachments are abandoned, the devotee reaches the Lord’s divine world. But for those who remain in unrighteousness, the fate is grim: he becomes a corpse upon the earth, and a demon—there is no doubt. He lingers in this realm, O noble one, as surely as spoken. The Lord then declares the atonement by which one is freed from sin: by fasting with eight meals, on the tenth or eleventh day, and again by drinking the five products of the cow, liberation from sin is quickly granted. Through such acts, all ancestors indeed overcome obstacles and find release. For those who err, a leatherworker’s birth awaits for thirteen years. Having fallen from the state of a boar, one becomes a despised dog. Yet, the Lord’s devotee, humble and free from offenses, is spared such fates. Whoever performs work upon the earth according to the prescribed procedure, even without sounding the drum or awakening the Lord prematurely, is favored with atonement. On the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of any month, one who follows this procedure and consumes much food, overwhelmed by indigestion, may in one birth become both a dog and a monkey. In another birth, blindness may occur; next, one is born as a mouse. But the pure devotee of the Lord, foremost and free from transgressions, is released from sin and other faults. For three days, one should subsist on milk, and for three days likewise on flour cakes. Rising at the end of night and brushing the teeth, whoever performs atonement in this manner is blessed. This is the greatest of stories, the highest of austerities, the dharma and fame of those with noble conduct. Whoever recites this daily, rising at an auspicious time, attains the greatest health and auspiciousness. For the steadfast devotee who recites it daily, it becomes authority and the worship at twilight. Yet it should not be recited among fools or bad students. Thus, O Devi, the determination of proper conduct has been imparted. So concludes the one hundred thirty-sixth chapter, named ‘The Sutra on Atonement Rites,’ in the divine scripture of the Varaha Purana. Now begins the story of the vulture and the jackal, and the bestowal of the Aditya vow. Having heard this great means of purifying offenses, the listener exclaims, “Oh, what a most excellent act, O Lord, you have spoken of.” Indeed, O mighty-armed one, I have heard this teaching, which fulfills the purpose of all dharma.