Varaha Purana 153.39: Adhyaya 153, Shloka 39

The Glory of the Mathurā Sacred Landscape: Saṃyamana Tīrtha and the Twelve Sacred Forests

Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha–vana Māhātmya (Sacred forests and heavenly worlds)

Devanagari script

महावनं चाष्टमं तु सदैव तु मम प्रियम् ॥ यत्र गत्वा तु मनुज इन्द्रलोके महीयते ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 153.39

Transliteration

mahāvanaṃ cāṣṭamaṃ tu sadaiva tu mama priyam || yatra gatvā tu manuja indraloke mahīyate ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Und der achte ist Mahāvana, der große Wald, der mir stets lieb ist; wer dorthin gelangt, wird in Indras Welt (Indraloka) geehrt.

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Word by Word

• mahāvanam: the great forest
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā Ekavacana; mahad eva vanam = great forest
• Role: Karta (कर्ता) in nominal clause
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• aṣṭamam: eighth
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā Ekavacana; ordinal adjective qualifying mahāvanam
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: aṣṭama (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• sadaiva: always indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (कालवाचक) with emphasis
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: sadā (अव्यय) + eva (अव्यय)

• tu: and/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• mama: my
• Type: Noun
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī Ekavacana
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)

• priyam: dear / beloved
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā Ekavacana; predicate adjective of mahāvanam
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) / Predicative
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)

• yatra: where
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya, relative adverb of place (यद्-प्रत्यय)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)

• gatvā: having gone
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: gam (गम् धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)

• tu: then/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• manujaḥ: a man
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā Ekavacana
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: manuja (प्रातिपदिक)

• indraloke: in Indra’s world (Svarga)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī (सप्तमी) Ekavacana; indrasya lokaḥ = Indra’s world
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)

• mahīyate: is honored / becomes great
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṭ (present), Prathama-puruṣa Ekavacana, Ātmanepada; passive/reflexive sense ‘is honored/glorified’
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: mah (मह् धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• cāṣṭamam = ca + aṣṭamam
• mahāvanam is karmadhāraya (mahā+vana)
• indraloke is tatpuruṣa (indra+loka)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Vana (forest)

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious, increasingly reassured by ordered guidance

What she asks

Which forest is especially dear to Varāha, and what celestial honor results from visiting it?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Karma-phala gradation in tīrtha practice

Subjects

CosmologyGeographyHeritage Sites

Core idea

Different sacred sites yield distinct fruits; divine ‘priyatva’ (dearness) of a place correlates with specific loka-based rewards.

In practice

Choose pilgrimage goals with clarity of intention (svarga-honor vs. higher loka), while maintaining devotion as the inner driver.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha declares Mahāvana as especially dear to him and explains the honor gained in Indraloka by visiting it.

Dharma

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Sacred Landscapes
• Cosmological Geography
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows a recurring Purāṇic pattern: named landscapes are integrated into a graded cosmology of destination-worlds, shaping pilgrimage imaginaries.

Which geographic location is identified?

Mahāvana is named; the verse does not supply regional markers for modern identification.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse underscores the value placed on visiting culturally significant natural sites, connecting landscape engagement to ideals of honor and merit.