Varaha Purana 175.7: Adhyaya 175, Shloka 7

The Sanctity of the Kṛṣṇagaṅgā Pilgrimage-Ford and the Account of the Brahmin Vasu’s Daughter

Uttara Bhāga · Kālañjara and Śiva as tīrtha-pati; merit of दर्शन

Devanagari script

कालञ्जरे महादेवं तत्र तीर्थपतिं शिवम् ॥ यस्य सन्दर्शनादेव कृष्णगङ्गाफलं भवेत् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 175.7

Transliteration

kālañjare mahādevaṁ tatra tīrthapatiṁ śivam || yasya sandarśanād eva kṛṣṇagaṅgāphalaṁ bhavet ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

কালঞ্জরে মহাদেব—সেখানে তীর্থপতি শিব; যাঁর কেবল দর্শনেই কৃষ্ণগঙ্গার ফল লাভ হয়।

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Word by Word

• कालञ्जरे: at Kālañjara
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पर्वतनाम
• Role: अधिकरण (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Root: कालञ्जर (प्रातिपदिक)

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् देवः)
• Role: कर्म (कर्म/Object)
• Root: महा + देव (प्रातिपदिक)

• तत्र: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (there)
• Role: अधिकरण (स्थान/Locative sense)
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)

• तीर्थपतिम्: lord of the sacred ford (tīrtha)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थस्य पतिः)
• Role: कर्म (कर्म/Object)
• Root: तीर्थ + पति (प्रातिपदिक)

• शिवम्: Śiva
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; महादेवस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन
• Role: कर्म (कर्म/Object)
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)

• यस्य: whose
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (whose)
• Role: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• सन्दर्शनात्: from the mere sight (of him)
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सम्यक् दर्शनम्)
• Role: हेतु/अपादान (Cause/Ablative)
• Root: सन् + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle: indeed/just)
• Role: सम्बन्ध (emphasis)
• Root: एव (अव्यय)

• कृष्णगङ्गाफलम्: the fruit/merit of (the) Kṛṣṇagaṅgā
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कृष्णगङ्गायाः फलम् = the merit/fruit of (bathing in) Kṛṣṇagaṅgā)
• Role: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject)
• Root: कृष्ण + गङ्गा + फल (प्रातिपदिक)

• भवेत्: would arise / would be obtained
• Type: Verb
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन
• Role: क्रिया (क्रिया/Verb)
• Root: भू (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• सन्दर्शनादेव = सन्दर्शनात् + एव
• कृष्णगङ्गाफलं = कृष्णगङ्गा + फलम् (तत्पुरुष-समास/सम्बन्ध)

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasa

Speaker

Varāha (continued narration)

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

The teaching

Path

Tīrtha Theology

Subjects

Sacred GeographyHeritage SitesInter-sectarian Landscape (Śiva/Viṣṇu terms)Pilgrimage Culture

Core idea

Sacred presence (darśana) can confer transformative merit; tīrthas function as concentrated nodes of grace.

In practice

Undertake pilgrimage with reverence; prioritize ‘darśana’ (attentive encounter) over mere travel, cultivating inner purity alongside outer visitation.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ancient Geography
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It links a specific place-name (Kālañjara) with a tīrtha institution and a deity-title (tīrthapati), valuable for reconstructing sacred-site networks and their layered affiliations.

Which geographic location is identified?

Kālañjara is named; it is commonly correlated by scholars with the Kālañjar region/fort area in present-day Uttar Pradesh (Bundelkhand zone), though exact mapping depends on broader textual context.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse underscores the cultural practice of respectful visitation (darśana) to heritage shrines as a means of participating in a landscape of remembered value.