Varaha Purana 154.13 — Adhyaya 154, Shloka 13

The Efficacy of Yamunā River Pilgrimage Sites

Merits of Mathurā-Region Tīrthas

Devanagari script

विष्णुलोकमवाप्नोति दिव्यमूर्तिश्चतुर्भुजः ॥ धारापतनके स्नात्वा नाकलोके स मोदते ॥

Transliteration

viṣṇulokam avāpnoti divyamūrtiś caturbhujaḥ || dhārāpatanake snātvā nākaloke sa modate ||

Translation

Er erlangt Viṣṇus Welt und nimmt eine göttliche Gestalt mit vier Armen an. Nachdem er in Dhārāpatanaka gebadet hat, erfreut er sich in der Himmelswelt.

Word by Word

• विष्णुलोकम्: Viṣṇu’s world
• विष्णुलोकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: विष्णोः लोकः)

• अवाप्नोति: attains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव्+आप् (धातु: आप्/अवाप् ‘प्राप्तौ’)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दिव्यमूर्तिः: (becomes) of divine form
• दिव्यमूर्तिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्य + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: दिव्या मूर्तिः

• चतुर्भुजः: four-armed
• चतुर्भुजः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: यस्य चत्वारः भुजाः सः

• धारापतनके: at Dhārāpatanaka (the waterfall-place)
• धारापतनके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धारा + पतनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: धारायाः पतनकम् (place of falling stream)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु; ‘स्नाने’)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• नाकलोके: in heaven
• नाकलोके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाक-लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: नाकस्य लोकः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मोदते: rejoices
• मोदते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुद् (धातु; ‘हर्षे’)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Varāha, as narrator/guide, directs attention to the tīrtha’s salvific efficacy rather than describing physical interaction."}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"attentive, receptive","key_question":"Implicit: which sacred bath grants divine form and access to Viṣṇuloka?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Dhārāpatanaka (tīrtha)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"Bathing (snāna) at Dhārāpatanaka is praised as a meritorious rite leading to exalted post-mortem attainment.","karmic_consequence":"Performs snāna → attains Viṣṇuloka and a divine four-armed form; neglect is simply absence of that fruit (no explicit penalty stated)."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"soteriology through tīrtha-sevā","core_concept":"External purification rites, when performed with faith, are linked to inner transformation symbolized by ‘divine form’ and proximity to the Lord’s realm.","practical_application":"Undertake tīrtha-snāna with Vaiṣṇava bhakti and ethical restraint, treating pilgrimage as a disciplined spiritual practice."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Sacred Geography","Cosmology","Ritual Practice","Heritage Sites"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: śānta

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha (bathing ford/ghāṭ)

Cross References

Related Themes: 154.15.0; 154.16.0; 154.17.0; 154.18.0

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pilgrim bathing at a river-ford named Dhārāpatanaka; above, Viṣṇuloka is depicted with the bather transformed into a radiant four-armed divine form.","item_prompts":["river/ford with steps","pilgrim performing snāna","radiant four-armed form (caturbhuja)","celestial vimāna/sky path","Vaikuṇṭha-like realm with Viṣṇu symbols (śaṅkha-cakra)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural palette; stylized river-ghāṭ, devotee in snāna, luminous caturbhuja figure ascending toward Vaikuṇṭha with śaṅkha-cakra motifs; ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore composition with gold-leaf halo; central caturbhuja transformed devotee, river-ghāṭ below; Vaikuṇṭha arch with śaṅkha-cakra; rich jewelry detailing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore-style delicate linework; serene ghāṭ scene, soft gradients, subtle divine radiance around the four-armed form; minimal but elegant ornamentation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature: terraced ghāṭ by a winding river, small figure bathing; above, layered clouds with Vaikuṇṭha pavilion; bright flat colors and fine detailing."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"benedictory, uplifting","suggested_raga":"Madhyamāvati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, reverent, gently emphatic on phala-śruti terms (Viṣṇuloka, caturbhuja)."}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ancient Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects how Purāṇas encode pilgrimage networks by attaching cosmological outcomes to bathing rites at named sites.

Which geographic location is identified?

Dhārāpatanaka, presented as a tīrtha; its precise modern correlate requires regional toponymic study.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Ritual bathing is framed within a broader moral-cosmological economy of merit, implying disciplined conduct alongside tīrtha practice.