Varaha Purana 159.5: Adhyaya 159, Shloka 5

The Procedure and Merit of Circumambulating Mathurā

Devanagari script

श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ भद्रे शृणु महत्पुण्यं पृथिव्यां सर्वतोदिशम् ॥ परिक्रम्य यथाध्वानं प्रमाणगणितं शुभम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 159.5

Transliteration

śrīvarāha uvāca || bhadre śṛṇu mahat-puṇyaṃ pṛthivyāṃ sarvato-diśam || parikramya yathādhvānaṃ pramāṇa-gaṇitaṃ śubham ||

Translation

Śrī Varāha sprach: „O Glückverheißende, höre von dem großen Verdienst (puṇya), (das) der Erde in allen Richtungen (zukommt)—wie beim Umrunden das glückverheißende, nach Maß berechnete Wegmaß bestimmt wird.“

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Word by Word

• śrī-varāhaḥ: Śrī Varāha
• śrī-varāhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + varāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Nominative Singular; honorific karmadhāraya ‘śrīmān varāhaḥ’

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra, Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa Singular

• bhadre: O auspicious one
• bhadre: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Vocative Singular; संबोधन to Dharaṇī

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra, Parasmaipada, Madhyama-puruṣa Singular

• mahat-puṇyam: great merit/holy (matter)
• mahat-puṇyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Accusative Singular; karmadhāraya ‘mahat puṇyam’

• pṛthivyām: on the earth
• pṛthivyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Locative (सप्तमी) Singular

• sarvataḥ-diśam: in all directions/everywhere
• sarvataḥ-diśam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvatas (अव्यय) + diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Accusative Singular; avyayībhāva ‘sarvataḥ’ (from all sides) + diś (direction) → ‘in all directions/everywhere’ qualifying implied ‘(parikramya)’ or ‘(pṛthivyām)’

• parikramya: having circumambulated
• parikramya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + kram (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: absolutive/gerund (ल्यप्)

• yathā-adhvānam: according to the route
• yathā-adhvānam: Karma (कर्म/extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + adhvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Accusative Singular; avyayībhāva ‘yathā’ (according to) + adhvānam (route/path)

• pramāṇa-gaṇitam: measured/calculated
• pramāṇa-gaṇitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √gaṇ)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Accusative Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘pramāṇena gaṇitam’ = ‘measured/calculated by measure’

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Accusative Singular; qualifying the instruction/act

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ancient Geography
• Quantification in Texts

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It introduces an enumerative, quasi-quantitative style (pramāṇa/gaṇita) used in Purāṇas to lend structure and authority to sacred-geographic claims.

Which geographic location is identified?

The Earth broadly (pṛthivī) is foregrounded; the chapter header indicates Mathurā as the thematic frame.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It encourages disciplined listening and structured knowledge—treating sacred geography as learnable and communicable.