Varaha Purana 137.166: Adhyaya 137, Shloka 166

The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field

Devanagari script

यमलोकं न गच्छेत्तु तीर्थस्यास्य प्रभावतः ॥ एतत्ते कथितं भद्रे स्नानस्य मरणस्य च ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 137.166

Transliteration

yamalokaṃ na gacchet tu tīrthasyāsya prabhāvataḥ || etat te kathitaṃ bhadre snānasya maraṇasya ca

Translation

Durch die Macht dieser heiligen Furt geht man nicht in das Reich Yamas. Dies ist dir gesagt worden, o Edle, hinsichtlich des Badens und auch hinsichtlich des Sterbens (dort).

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Word by Word

• yama-lokam: Yama’s world
• yama-lokam: Karma (कर्म/Object; destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/Accusative), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa (yamasya lokaḥ)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; niṣedha (negation particle)

• gacchet: would go / should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (Optative), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Contrast)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; virodha/avadhāraṇa-nipāta (but/indeed)

• tīrthasya: of the sacred ford
• tīrthasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/Genitive), Ekavacana

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Puṃliṅga/napuṃsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/Genitive), Ekavacana

• prabhāvataḥ: due to (its) power
• prabhāvataḥ: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Pañcamī (5th/Ablative), Ekavacana; hetu sense ‘because of’

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म/Object; content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Napuṃsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Caturthī (4th/Dative) or Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/Genitive) enclitic; here dative ‘to you’

• kathitam: told, explained
• kathitam: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: Kṛdanta; bhūta-kṛdanta (past passive participle), Napuṃsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; agreeing with etat

• bhadre: O auspicious lady
• bhadre: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana

• snānasya: of bathing
• snānasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/Genitive), Ekavacana

• maraṇasya: of death
• maraṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/Genitive), Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccayārthaka (conjunction)

Speaker

Varāha (instructor; default dialogue frame)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ancient Cosmology
• Vaiṣṇavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents a widespread Purāṇic claim about sacred geography: certain tīrthas are portrayed as altering post-mortem trajectories, a feature relevant to the history of pilgrimage and funerary imaginaries.

Which geographic location is identified?

The specific tīrtha is not named in this fragment; it is referenced as ‘asya tīrthasya’ (this tīrtha), requiring chapter context for identification.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It presents a moral-causal framework where ritual engagement with a sacred site is linked to consequences after death, encouraging disciplined conduct around tīrtha practice.