Varaha Purana 165.39: Adhyaya 165, Shloka 39
The Glory of Mathurā: The Account of Piṇḍa-Offering at the Catuḥsāmudrika Well
Uttara Bhāga · Tīrtha–Kṣetra Māhātmya (Pratiṣṭhāna—sacred well and cosmographic motif)
समुद्राः किल तिष्ठन्ति चत्वारोऽत्र समागताः ॥ तस्य कूपस्य माहात्म्यं श्रुतं तत्र महत्फलम् ॥
samudrāḥ kila tiṣṭhanti catvāro 'tra samāgatāḥ || tasya kūpasya māhātmyaṃ śrutaṃ tatra mahatphalam ||
samudrAH kila tiShThanti chatvAro.atra samAgatAH || tasya kUpasya mAhAtmyaM shrutaM tatra mahatphalam
„Wahrlich, man sagt, dass hier vier Ozeane versammelt gegenwärtig sind. Dort hörte ich von der Größe jenes Brunnens, dessen Frucht als überaus groß beschrieben wird.“
Sandhi Notes
- catvāraḥ+atra → catvāro 'tra (visarga sandhi with avagraha)
- mahat+phalam → mahatphalam
First-person narrator within the embedded story
Purāṇic cosmology sacralizes geography: the cosmic order is accessible through localized symbols and narratives.
Treat heritage water-sites as living cosmological symbols; preserve them and engage through śravaṇa, smaraṇa, and respectful use.
Microcosm-in-macrocosm: a local well is presented as containing the cosmic oceans, expressing Purāṇic sacral geography where the universe is mirrored in tīrthas.
Rather a cosmographic compression (samudra-catuṣṭaya) into a single tīrtha.
Brahmāṇḍa-as-reflected-in-a-point: the sacred can disclose the whole; supports a non-dual devotional intuition that the infinite is accessible through a consecrated locus.
Indirect: Vraja’s later sacral waters are often described with cosmic equivalences; here the cosmic mapping elevates the site’s status.
Varāha Purāṇa tīrtha-māhātmya style claims equating local waters with cosmic waters (exact internal citation not provided)
FAQs
It illustrates a Purāṇic strategy of sacralizing local sites by linking them to cosmographic symbols (e.g., ‘four oceans’), thereby enhancing a location’s perceived cultural and ritual importance.
The verse refers to a specific sacred well within the Pratiṣṭhāna temple landscape, but does not provide a distinct toponym for the well itself.
The glorification of a well underscores the value of water sites as shared heritage, encouraging protective attitudes toward life-sustaining resources.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
