Varaha Purana 147.58: Adhyaya 147, Shloka 58

The Sacred Merit of Goniṣkramaṇa

the Tīrtha of the Cows’ Emergence/Release

Uttara Bhāga · Sacred Geography (Kṣetra definition) and Phalaśruti

Devanagari script

श्लोकं वा यदि वा पादं यदीच्छेत् परमां गतिम्॥ तत्क्षेत्रं तु महाभागे पञ्चयोजनमण्डलम्॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 147.58

Transliteration

ślokaṃ vā yadi vā pādaṃ yadīcchet paramāṃ gatim || tatkṣetraṃ tu mahābhāge pañcayojanamaṇḍalam ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Ob ein ganzer Śloka oder auch nur ein Viertelvers — wenn man das höchste Ziel begehrt — dann ist jenes heilige Gebiet, o edle Dame, ein Umkreis von fünf Yojanas.

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Word by Word

• ślokam: a verse
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: śloka (प्रातिपदिक)

• vā: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Disjunctive particle (विकल्पार्थक)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: vā (अव्यय)

• yadi: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conditional particle (शर्त/यदि)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)

• vā: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Disjunctive particle (विकल्पार्थक)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: vā (अव्यय)

• pādam: a quarter-verse/foot
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)

• yadi: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conditional particle (शर्त/यदि)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)

• icchet: should desire
• Type: Verb
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada; 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: iṣ (धातु)

• paramām: supreme
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agrees with gatim
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)

• gatim: goal/destination
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)

• tat-kṣetram: that sacred area/field
• Type: Noun
• Form: Pronominal determinative (कर्मधारय: ‘that’ + ‘field/place’); Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular
• Role: Karta (कर्ता) / Viṣaya (विषय)
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Particle (emphasis/contrast)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• mahābhāge: O greatly fortunate one
• Type: Noun
• Form: Bahuvrīhi: ‘one who has great fortune’; Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; (gender per addressee, here feminine address)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: mahā-bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)

• pañca-yojana-maṇḍalam: a circuit/area of five yojanas
• Type: Noun
• Form: Dvigu compound: ‘a maṇḍala of five yojanas’; Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to tat-kṣetram
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) / Samānādhikaraṇa
• Root: pañca (संख्या) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• yadīcchet → yadi icchet
• tatkṣetraṃ → tat-kṣetram
• pañcayojanamaṇḍalam → pañca-yojana-maṇḍalam

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Kṣetra/maṇḍala (sacred circuit)

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

What is the extent/measure of that kṣetra whose mere recitation grants the highest goal?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Soteriology via śravaṇa/smaraṇa

Subjects

GeographyHeritage SitesTextual Tradition

Core idea

Alpa-upāya, mahā-phala: even a fragment of sacred utterance, when linked to a potent kṣetra and right aspiration, can orient one to paramā gati.

In practice

Maintain reverent engagement with sacred texts and sacred geography: learn/recite even small portions with faith; undertake the kṣetra-parikramā within its defined boundary.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha addresses Bhū-devī respectfully (mahābhāge), defining the sacred circuit’s extent for her understanding.

Cross references

Tags

• Ancient Geography
• Purāṇic Studies
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It is evidence for how Purāṇic sources demarcate sacred space using measurement language (yojana), relevant to historical geography and pilgrimage studies.

Which geographic location is identified?

A specific named site is not provided in the fragment; the verse defines the extent of a kṣetra as a five-yojana circuit.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It emphasizes the value of even minimal textual engagement (a pāda) and links it to aspirational ethical-spiritual aims.