Varaha Purana

स विष्णुः परमो देवो विज्ञेयो नृपसत्तम । न च वेदक्रियाहीनः पश्यते परमेश्वरम् ।। ६७.

That Viṣṇu, the supreme god, is to be known, O best of kings; and one without Vedic rites does not behold the Supreme Lord.

भद्राश्व उवाच । योऽसौ परापरो देवो विष्णुः सर्वगतो मुने । चतुर्युगे त्वसौ कीदृग् विज्ञेयः परमेश्वरः ।। ६८.

Bhadrāśva said: O sage, that supreme and non-supreme god Viṣṇu, who is all-pervading—how is he to be understood in each of the four ages, O Supreme Lord?

युगे युगे क आचारो वर्णानां भविता मुने । कथं च शुद्धिर्विप्राणामन्यस्त्रीसंकरैर्मुने ।। ६८.

In each age, what will be the conduct of the castes, O sage? And how will the purity of Brāhmaṇas be, when there is intermixture with other women, O sage?

अगस्त्य उवाच । कृते युगे मही देवैर्भुज्यते वेदकर्मणा । यजद्भिरसुरैस्त्रेतां तद्वद् देवैश्च सत्तम ।। ६८.

Agastya said: In the Kṛta age, the earth is enjoyed by the gods through Vedic rites; in the Tretā age, it is likewise enjoyed by those who perform sacrifices and by the gods, O excellent one.

द्वापरे सत्त्वरजसी बहुले नृपसत्तम । यावद् धर्मसुतो राजा भविष्यति महामते ।। ६८.

In the Dvāpara age, O best of kings, when sattva and rajas are predominant, as long as the king who is the son of Dharma exists, O wise one.

ततस्तमः प्रभविता कलिरूपो नरेश्वर । तस्मिन् कलौ वर्त्तमाने स्वमार्गाच्च्यवते द्विजः ।। ६८.

Then, darkness will prevail in the form of Kali, O lord of men; and in that Kali age, the twice-born will deviate from their own path.

राजानो वैश्यशूद्राश्च प्रायशो हीनजातयः । भविष्यन्ति नृपश्रेष्ठ सत्यशौचविवर्जिताः ।। ६८.

Kings, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras will mostly be of low birth, O best of kings, devoid of truth and purity.

अगम्यागमनं तत्र करिष्यन्ति द्विजातयः । अनृतं च वदिष्यन्ति वेदमार्गबहिष्कृताः । विवाहांश्च करिष्यन्ति सगोत्रानसमांस्तथा ।। ६८.

There, the twice-born will approach the unapproachable, will speak falsehood, will be excluded from the Vedic path, and will marry those of the same lineage and those not equal as well.

राजानो ब्राह्मणान् हिंस्युर्वित्तलोभान्विताः शठाः । अन्त्यजा अपि वैश्यत्वं करिष्यन्ति पणे रताः । अभिमानिनो भविष्यन्ति शूद्रजातिषु गर्विताः ।। ६८.

Kings, greedy for wealth and deceitful, will harm Brāhmaṇas; even outcastes will assume the status of Vaiśyas, delighting in trade; and those of Śūdra birth will become proud and arrogant.

सर्वाशिनो भविष्यन्ति ब्राह्मणाः शौचवर्जिताः । सुरा पेयमिति प्राहुः सत्यशौचविवर्जिताः ।। ६८.

Brahmins will become all-consuming, devoid of purity; they will declare that drinking liquor is permitted, lacking both truthfulness and cleanliness.

ततो विनश्यते लोको वर्णधर्मश्च नश्यते ।। ६८.

Then the world will perish, and the duties of the social orders will be destroyed.

भद्राश्व उवाच । अगम्यागमनं कृत्वा ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियोऽपि वा । शूद्रोऽपि शुद्ध्यते केन किं वाऽगम्यं तु शंस मे ।। ६८.

Bhadrāśva said: If a Brahmin, or even a Kshatriya, commits intercourse with a forbidden woman, or a Shudra does so—by what means is he purified? And what women are considered forbidden? Tell me.

अगस्त्य उवाच । चातुर्गामी भवेद् विप्रस् त्रिगामी क्षत्रियो भवेत् । द्विगामी तु भवेद् वैश्यः शूद्र एकगमः स्मृतः ।। ६८.

Agastya said: A Brahmin may go to four kinds of women, a Kshatriya to three, a Vaishya to two, and a Shudra is said to have access to only one.

अगम्यां ब्राह्मणीं प्राहुः क्षत्रियस्य नरेश्वर । क्षत्राणीं चैव वैश्यस्य वैश्यां शूद्रस्य पार्थिव । अधमस्योत्तमा नारी अगम्या मनुरब्रवीत् ।। ६८.

The wife of a Brahmin is forbidden for a Kshatriya, O lord of men; the wife of a Kshatriya is forbidden for a Vaishya, and the wife of a Vaishya for a Shudra, O king. Manu has declared that a woman of a higher class is forbidden to a man of a lower class.

माता मातृष्वसा श्वश्रूर्भातृपत्नी च पार्थिव । स्नुषा च दुहिता चैव मित्रपत्नी स्वगोत्रजा ।। ६८.

Mother, maternal aunt, mother-in-law, brother’s wife, daughter-in-law, daughter, friend’s wife, and a woman of one’s own lineage—

राजजायाऽऽत्मजा चैव अगम्या मुख्यतः स्त्रियः । रजकादिषु चान्याश्च स्त्रियोऽगम्याः प्रकीर्तिताः । अगम्यागमनं चैतत् कृतं पापाय जायते ।। ६८.

The wife or daughter of a king, and other women such as washerwomen and so on, are chiefly considered forbidden. Intercourse with such women is declared to be sinful.

वियोनिगमनायाशु ब्राह्मणाय भवत्यलम् । शेषस्य शुद्धिरेषैव प्राणायामशतं भवेत् ।। ६८.

For a Brahmin, intercourse with a woman outside his caste brings grave impurity; for others, purification is achieved by performing a hundred breath-control exercises.

बहुनाऽपि हि कालेन यत् पापं समुपार्जितम् । वर्णसंकरसंगत्या ब्राह्मणेन नरर्षभ ।। ६८.

Even after a long time, whatever sin is accumulated by a Brahmin through association with mixed castes, O best of men—

दशप्रणवगायत्रीं प्राणायामशतैस्त्रिभिः । मुच्यते ब्रह्महत्यायाः किं पुनः शेषपातकैः ।। ६८.

By reciting the Gayatri with ten Pranava syllables, and performing three hundred breath-control exercises, one is freed even from the sin of killing a Brahmin—how much more so from lesser sins.

अथवा पररूपं यो वेद ब्राह्मणपुंगवः । वेदाध्यायी पापशतैः कृतैरपि न लिप्यते ।। ६८.

Or, if a foremost Brahmin knows the Supreme Self, even if he has committed hundreds of sins, he is not tainted.

स्मरन् विष्णुं पठन् वेदं ददद् दानं यजन् हरिम् । ब्राह्मणः शुद्ध एवास्ते विरुद्धमपि तारयेत् ।। ६८.

Remembering Vishnu, reciting the Veda, giving gifts, and worshipping Hari—a Brahmin remains pure, and can even save others who are opposed.

एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं यत् पृष्टोऽहं त्वया नृप । मन्वादिर्भिर्विस्तरशः कथ्यते येन पार्थिव । समासतस्तेन मया कथितं ते नृपोत्तम ।। ६८.

All this I have told you, O king, as you asked; what is described in detail by Manu and others, I have summarized for you, O best of kings.

भद्राश्व उवाच । भगवन् त्वच्छरीरे तु यद् वृत्तं द्विजसत्तम । चिरजीवी भवांस्तन्मे वक्तुमर्हसि सत्तम ।। ६९.

Bhadrāśva said: O blessed one, whatever has occurred in your body, O best of twice-born, you who are long-lived—please tell me that, O noble one.

अगस्त्य उवाच । मच्छरीरमिदं राजन् बहुकौतूहलान्वितम् । अनेककल्पसंस्थायि वेदविद्याविशोधितम् ।। ६९.

Agastya said: This body of mine, O king, is filled with many wonders; it has endured through many cycles of creation, and has been purified by Vedic knowledge.

अटन् महीमहं सर्वां गतवानस्मि पार्थिव । इलावृतं महावर्षं मेरोः पार्श्वे व्यवस्थितम् ।। ६९.

I have wandered over the whole earth, O king, and have gone to Ilāvṛta, the great region situated beside Mount Meru.

तत्र रम्यं सरो दृष्टं तस्य तीरे महाकुटी । तत्रोपवासशिथिलं दृष्टवानस्मि तापसम् । अस्थिचर्मावशेषं तु चीरवल्कलधारिणम् ।। ६९.

There I saw a beautiful lake, and on its shore a great hermitage; there I saw an ascetic weakened by fasting, reduced to skin and bones, wearing only bark garments.

तं दृष्टृवाऽहं नृपश्रेष्ठ क एष नृपसत्तम । विश्वास्य प्रतिपत्त्यर्थं विधेयं मे नरोत्तम ।। ६९.

Seeing him, O best of kings, I wondered, 'Who is this, O foremost of rulers?' To gain his trust and understanding, I considered what should be done, O noble one.

एवं चित्तयतो मह्यं स मां प्राह महामुनिः । स्थीयतां स्थीयतां ब्रह्मन्नातिथ्यं करवाणि ते ।। ६९.

As I was reflecting in this way, O Brahman, the great sage addressed me: 'Stay, stay! Remain here, I will offer you hospitality.'

एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य प्रविष्टोऽहं कुटीं तु ताम् । तावत् पश्याम्यहं विप्रं ज्वलन्तमिव तेजसा ।। ६९.

Hearing these words of his, I entered that hut; there I beheld the sage, shining as if ablaze with radiance.