Varaha Purana 147.4: Adhyaya 147, Shloka 4

The Sacred Merit of Goniṣkramaṇa

the Tīrtha of the Cows’ Emergence/Release

Devanagari script

गोनिष्क्रमणकं नाम गावो यत्र प्रतारिताः ॥ यथा निष्क्रमणं प्राप्य सुरभीणां वसुन्धरे

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 147.4

Transliteration

goniṣkramaṇakaṁ nāma gāvo yatra pratāritāḥ || yathā niṣkramaṇaṁ prāpya surabhīṇāṁ vasundhare

Translation

ويُسمّى ذلك الموضع «غونيشكرامَنَكا»، يا فاسوندَرا، حيث سِيقَتِ الأبقارُ إلى الأمام؛ وهناك، لمّا بلغنَ المَخْرَج، استطاعت أبقارُ سورَبهي أن تشقَّ طريقها وتخرج.

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Word by Word

• go-niṣkramaṇakam: (a place called) Go-niṣkramaṇaka
• go-niṣkramaṇakam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣkramaṇaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; तत्पुरुष: 'cows’ exit/place of going out' (name of a place)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Particle meaning 'by name/called' (नाम-अव्यय)

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural (बहुवचन)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Relative adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• pratāritāḥ: were deceived
• pratāritāḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√tṝ / √tar (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Feminine Nominative Plural agreeing with gāvaḥ; sense: 'were deceived/led astray'

• yathā: as, in the manner that
• yathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Comparative/illustrative indeclinable (यथार्थक-अव्यय)

• niṣkramaṇam: exit, going out
• niṣkramaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣkramaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Accusative, Singular

• prāpya: having reached/obtained
• prāpya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, ल्यप्): 'having obtained/reached'

• surabhīṇām: of the Surabhī cows
• surabhīṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surabhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (षष्ठी), Plural

• vasundhare: O Earth
• vasundhare: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasundharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Ancient Geography
• Pastoral Culture
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves an etymological explanation for a toponym, linking place-memory to pastoral life—an important feature of Purāṇic sacred geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

A site named Goniṣkramaṇaka (Goniṣkrama) is identified; its exact modern correlate is not determinable from this excerpt alone.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The narrative frames non-human life (cattle) as integral to the meaning of place, supporting a cultural ethic of attention to living landscapes.