Varaha Purana 161.9 — Adhyaya 161, Shloka 9

The Efficacy of the Sacred Forests: The Merit of Pilgrimage to Mathurā’s Twelve Groves

Devanagari script

लोहर्गलवनं नाम नवमं पातकापहम् ॥ वनं बिल्ववनं नाम दशमं देवपूजितम् ॥

Transliteration

lohargalavanaṃ nāma navamaṃ pātakāpaham || vanaṃ bilvavanaṃ nāma daśamaṃ devapūjitam ||

Translation

Der neunte heißt Lohargalavana, ein Vertilger von Verfehlung. Der zehnte ist der Wald namens Bilvavana, in göttlicher Verehrung geehrt.

Word by Word

• lohargalavanam: the Lohargala forest
• lohargalavanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lohargala (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लोहर्गलस्य वनम्)

• nāma: named/called
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशार्थक (indeclinable used for naming: ‘called’)

• navamam: ninth
• navamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: navama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• pātakāpaham: sin-destroying
• pātakāpaham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + apaha (कृदन्त; √hā धातु, अप + क)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (पातकं अपहन्ति इति)

• vanam: forest
• vanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• bilvavanam: the Bilva forest
• bilvavanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बिल्वस्य वनम्)

• nāma: named/called
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशार्थक (‘called’)

• daśamam: tenth
• daśamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• devapūjitam: worshipped by the gods
• devapūjitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjita (कृदन्त; √pūj धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (देवैः पूजितम्)

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious, attentive to sacred topography and its ethical fruits","key_question":"Which sacred forests are to be known in sequence, and what purificatory power do they confer?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Lohargalavana; Bilvavana","parikrama_context":"Enumerative mapping of the vana-yātrā sequence within the Mathurā-maṇḍala pilgrimage circuit.","krishna_connection":"Implicit: the named vanas belong to Vraja’s sacred landscape later celebrated as Kṛṣṇa’s līlā-bhūmi."}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"Darśana/saṅgama with specified sacred forests functions as a remover of pāpa (transgression) within a regulated pilgrimage.","karmic_consequence":"Undertaking the prescribed sacred-forest visitation purifies sin; neglect forfeits the stated expiatory benefit."}

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":"karma-yoga / tīrtha-śraddhā","core_concept":"Sacred space, approached with faith and discipline, becomes a means for inner purification and ethical renewal.","practical_application":"Perform pilgrimage with restraint and reverence; treat tīrtha-darśana as a commitment to reduced wrongdoing and increased worship."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites","Ethics"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: vana (sacred forest)

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa Mathurā-māhātmya: sequential vana enumeration (adjacent verses in the same adhyāya)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as divine narrator indicates two Vraja forests—Lohargala and Bilva—framed as sanctuaries that remove sin and are worshipped by gods.","item_prompts":["map-like landscape with labeled forests","bilva trees with trifoliate leaves and fruits","pilgrims offering water/flowers","subtle divine presence (devas) honoring the grove"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: lush green vana with stylized bilva leaves; Varāha as dignified teacher-figure in the margin; devas in orderly rows performing pūjā.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central sacred grove icon with bilva tree; gold-leaf halos for devas; ornamental borders; minimal landscape but rich iconography.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined forest scene with soft gradients; pilgrims in orderly procession; delicate detailing of bilva foliage and shrine elements.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical hillside-forest composition; small figures of pilgrims; bright bilva tree highlighted; inscriptions naming Lohargala/Bilva."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverential, descriptive","suggested_raga":"Madhyamāvati","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"clear, instructive, gently emphatic on place-names"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Ancient Geography
• Pilgrimage Culture
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It links named forest-sites with moral language (pātakāpaha), illustrating how landscapes were encoded as ethical resources.

Which geographic location is identified?

Lohargalavana and Bilvavana, forest toponyms within the Mathurā/Braj pilgrimage geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse associates engagement with certain places to moral purification, encouraging culturally regulated conduct within heritage zones.