Varaha Purana

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.

भूमौ स्थितं तु मां दृष्ट्वा हुङ्कारमकरोद् द्विजः । तद्धुङ्कारात् तु पातालं भित्त्वा पञ्च हि कन्यकाः ।। ६९.

Seeing me standing on the ground, the sage uttered a humkāra; from that sound, five maidens broke through the earth and emerged from the netherworld.

निर्ययुः काञ्चनं पीठमेका तासां प्रगृह्य वै । सा मां प्रादात् तदाऽन्याऽदात् सलिलं करसंस्थितम् ।। ६९.

One of them brought a golden seat and offered it to me; another gave me water held in her hands.

गृहीत्वाऽन्या तु मे पादौ क्षालितुं चोपचक्रमे । अन्ये द्वे व्यजने गृह्य मत्पक्षाभ्यां व्यवस्थिते ।। ६९.

Another took hold of my feet and began to wash them; the remaining two stood at my sides, each holding a fan.

ततो हुङ्कारमकरोत् पुनरेव महातपाः । तच्छब्दादन्तरं हैमद्रोणीं योजनविस्तृताम् । गृह्याजगाम मकरोत्प्लवं सरसि पार्थिव ।। ६९.

Then again, the great ascetic uttered a humkāra; from that sound, a golden basin, a yojana in width, appeared, and a makara leapt into the lake, O King.

तस्यां तु कन्याः शतशो हेमकुम्भकराः शुभाः । आययुस्तमथो दृष्ट्वा स मुनिः प्राह मां नृप ।। ६९.

In that basin, hundreds of auspicious maidens carrying golden pitchers arrived; seeing this, the sage spoke to me, O King.

स्नानार्थं कल्पितं ब्रह्मन्निदं ते सर्वमेव तु । द्रोणीं प्रविश्य चेमां त्वं स्नातुमर्हसि सत्तम ।। ६९.

'All this has been prepared for your bath, O Brahman; you should enter this basin and bathe, O noble one.'

ततोऽहं तस्य वचनात् तस्यां द्रोण्यां नराधिप । विशामि तावत् सरसि सा द्रोणी प्रत्यमज्जत ।। ६९.

Then, by his instruction, O lord of men, I entered that basin in the lake; as I did so, the basin sank beneath the water.

द्रोण्यां जले निमग्नोऽहम् इति मत्वा नरेश्वर । उन्मग्नोऽहं ततो लोकमपूर्वं दृष्टवांस्ततः ।। ६९.

Thinking myself submerged in the water of the basin, O king, I then rose up and beheld a world never seen before.

सुहर्म्यकक्ष्यायतनं विशालं रथ्यापथं शुद्धजनानुकीर्णम् । नीत्युत्तमैः सेवितमात्मविद्भि - र्नृभिः पुराणैर्नयमार्गसंस्थैः ।। ६९.

There I saw a vast and excellent city, with broad avenues thronged by pure-hearted people, attended by the wise and self-realized, by ancient kings established in the path of righteousness.

संसारचर्यापरिघाभिरुग्रं गम्भीरपातालतलस्थमाद्यम् । सितैर्नृभिः पाशवराग्रहस्तैः द्विपाश्वसंघैर्विविधैरुपेतम् ।। ६९.

It was a formidable place, inaccessible to the course of worldly life, situated deep in the nethermost region, filled with white-clad men holding nooses, and surrounded by various groups of elephants and horses.