Varaha Purana 145.91: Adhyaya 145, Shloka 91
The Greatness of the Śālagrāma Sacred Region
Uttara Bhāga · Tīrtha–Kṣetra Māhātmya (Gaṇḍakī–Śālagrāma; Devanadī-saṅgama)
यज्ञस्तपोऽथवा दानं श्राद्धमिष्टस्य पूजनम् ॥ यत्किञ्चित्क्रियते कर्म तदनन्तफलं भवेत् ॥
yajñas tapo ’thavā dānaṃ śrāddham iṣṭasya pūjanam | yat kiñcit kriyate karma tad ananta-phalaṃ bhavet ||
yaj~nastapo.athavA dAnaM shrAddhamiShTasya pUjanam || yatkiMchitkriyate karma tadanantaphalaM bhavet
Ob Opfer (yajña), Askese (tapas), Gabe (dāna), Ahnenopfer (śrāddha) oder Verehrung der erwählten Gottheit—welche Handlung hier auch vollzogen wird, sie wird zu einem Werk von grenzenlosem Ertrag.
Sandhi Notes
- tapo ’thavā = tapaḥ + athavā (visarga sandhi)
- yat kiñcit often written as yatkiñcit
- ananta-phalam as compound
Varāha
The same ethical/religious act changes in potency by context; sacred space and intention can render karma 'ananta' in effect.
When at a tīrtha, prioritize core practices—dāna, śrāddha with care, iṣṭa-pūjā, and self-restraint—dedicating results to Nārāyaṇa rather than to egoic gain.
The kṣetra functions as a 'karma-ākṣaya' field: finite acts participate in the Infinite (Ananta/Nārāyaṇa) through right locus and devotion.
Implicit yajña-spectrum (yajña–tapas–dāna–śrāddha–pūjā) gathered into one sanctified field.
Finite karma, when offered with īśvara-buddhi in a sanctified context, is transmuted into akṣaya/ananta-phala—echoing the Purāṇic bridge from karma to mokṣa via bhakti and kṣetra-mahattva.
At this sacred locus, yajña, tapas, dāna, śrāddha, and iṣṭa-devatā-pūjā—indeed any karma—yields boundless fruit.
Performance here multiplies results to 'ananta'; omission does not incur stated sin, but forfeits the exceptional amplification.
Implicit Vaiṣṇava frame (iṣṭa-pūjana; kṣetra-mahattva) compatible with later Kṛṣṇa-kṣetra theology, though not explicit
Varāha Purāṇa, Mathurā-māhātmya: repeated 'ananta/akṣaya-phala' claims for acts done in the kṣetra (surrounding section)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic kṣetra-māhātmya motif: associating specific landscapes with amplified ritual and ethical efficacy, a feature influential in South Asian pilgrimage mapping.
The verse itself does not name the site, but the surrounding passage (Adhyāya 145) situates the claim in the Gaṇḍakī–Śālagrāma sacred landscape.
It affirms the value of diverse forms of practice—ritual, discipline, giving, and remembrance—framed as meaningful moral action within a culturally marked place.
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