Varaha Purana 159.9 — Adhyaya 159, Shloka 9
The Procedure and Merit of Circumambulating Mathurā
एतैरनेकधा देवैः ससागरवना मही ॥ क्रमिता बलिना चैव बाह्यमण्डलरेखया ॥
etair anekadhā devaiḥ sa-sāgara-vanā mahī || kramitā balinā caiva bāhya-maṇḍala-rekhayā ||
Von diesen Göttern ist die Erde—mitsamt ihren Ozeanen und Wäldern—auf vielerlei Weise durchmessen worden; ebenso auch von Bali, entlang der Linie des äußeren Kreises (Umfangs).
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"parikrama_context":"Implied by ‘क्रमिता’ and ‘बाह्यमण्डलरेखया’: a circumambulatory traversal along an outer perimeter line, but not localized to Mathurā."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The ‘outer circle line’ (bāhya-maṇḍala-rekhā) frames Earth as a mandala suitable for parikrama; traversal becomes a ritualized mapping of the world-body, resonant with Purāṇic mandala-thinking (cosmos as a circumambulated sacred diagram).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Mandala/perimeter as a ritual boundary (paridhi) analog; Earth with oceans/forests as the ‘field’ to be ritually encompassed (no explicit Varāha-limb mapping).","vedantic_connection":"Seeing the world as a mandala encourages a non-fragmented vision (sarvaṃ brahma/viṣṇu-vyāpti): the whole is one ordered field, not merely a collection of places."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"sacred geography/ritual worldview","core_concept":"Earth is a mandala: to ‘traverse’ it is to engage a sacred totality; only extraordinary beings (and Bali) can encompass its perimeter.","practical_application":"Let local pilgrimage mirror the ideal of parikrama: circumambulate one’s chosen kṣetra with the awareness that it represents the whole Earth-mandala."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Cosmology","Ecology"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: global sacred geography (bhū-maṇḍala)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa tīrtha and kṣetra descriptions where ‘क्रम’/parikrama language appears (general internal linkage)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cosmic map-vision: Earth shown with ringed oceans and green forest belts; luminous beings traverse routes; Bali traces a clear outer circular line around the world-mandala.","item_prompts":["circular earth-mandala","concentric ocean rings","forest band","tiny traveling figures/devas","Bali marking a perimeter line (rekhā)","compass/mandala geometry"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: bold circular bhū-maṇḍala with concentric bands; stylized devas moving along paths; Bali at the rim drawing a bright boundary line.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: embossed concentric circles with gold leaf; Bali highlighted at the circumference; jewel-toned oceans/forests with ornate symmetry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: precise mandala geometry, delicate shading for oceans/forests; figures rendered with classical restraint; emphasis on the ‘rekhā’ line.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: simplified circular world with bright bands; narrative clarity—Bali walking the rim; airy sky and minimal ornament."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic-descriptive","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"resonant, widening on ‘ससागरवना मही’ and crisp on ‘बाह्यमण्डलरेखया’"}
FAQs
It preserves an ecological imagination of the world (oceans/forests) embedded in sacred geography, valuable for environmental humanities readings of Purāṇas.
The Earth described as a system including oceans and forests; “outer circle” suggests a conceptual perimeter rather than a mapped border.
It situates human and cosmic action within an Earth-inclusive frame, implicitly valuing the integrity of natural domains (forests, oceans) as part of cultural geography.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.