Varaha Purana 196.32 — Adhyaya 196, Shloka 32

Description of the City of Dharmarāja

Yama

Devanagari script

तथाऽपरे क्रीडनकाः सकान्ताः सुवर्णवेदीकृतसानुशोभाः ॥ विमानभूताः प्रचरन्ति तोये प्रमत्तनारीनरसं्कुलाश्च ॥

Transliteration

tathā 'pare krīḍanakāḥ sakāntāḥ suvarṇa-vedī-kṛta-sānu-śobhāḥ || vimāna-bhūtāḥ pracaranti toye pramatta-nārī-nara-saṃkulāś ca ||

Translation

Ebenso ziehen andere umher — verspielt und von ihren Geliebten begleitet — geschmückt mit Terrassen, die wie goldene Plattformen gestaltet sind; sie bewegen sich über das Wasser, als wären sie zu luftigen Palästen geworden, und sind erfüllt von berauschten Frauen und Männern.

Word by Word

• tathā: thus; likewise
• tathā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• apare: others
• apare: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन)

• krīḍanakāḥ: players / those at sport
• krīḍanakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krīḍanaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन)

• sa-kāntāḥ: with (their) beloved women
• sa-kāntāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + kāntā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); सह-तत्पुरुष: kāntābhiḥ saha (with their beloveds/wives)

• suvarṇa-vedī-kṛta-sānu-śobhāḥ: having splendor of terraces made with golden platforms
• suvarṇa-vedī-kṛta-sānu-śobhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vedī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त, √kṛ) + sānu (प्रातिपदिक) + śobhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: suvarṇa-vedyā kṛtaṃ sānu, tasya śobhā yāsām/yeṣām (having splendor of terraces made into golden altars/platforms)

• vimāna-bhūtāḥ: become like aerial cars / like vimānas
• vimāna-bhūtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimāna (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (कृदन्त, √bhū)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying krīḍanakāḥ: vimāna-rūpeṇa bhūtāḥ

• pracaranti: move about / roam
• pracaranti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√car (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Plural (बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• toye: in the water
• toye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी) Singular (एकवचन)

• pramatta-nārī-nara-saṃkulāḥ: crowded with reveling women and men
• pramatta-nārī-nara-saṃkulāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pramatta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, pra√mad) + nārī (प्रातिपदिक) + nara (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: pramattaiḥ nārībhiḥ naraiś ca saṃkulāḥ (crowded with intoxicated women and men)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय)

Speaker

Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in fragment)

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":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

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":"aesthetic-dharma (saṃskāra)","core_concept":"Refined enjoyment (bhoga) is portrayed as orderly, communal, and beautified—suggesting prosperity aligned with cultural restraint rather than chaos.","practical_application":"Cultivate arts, cleanliness, and respectful social conduct in public sacred spaces (tīra/toya), treating beauty as a form of collective merit."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Cultural Heritage","Sacred Geography","Aesthetics"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śṛṅgāra

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: river/lake frontage with pleasure-craft

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 196 (city/region description sequence continuing through 196.36 and 196.196.x)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Golden-terraced pleasure-barges glide over water like floating vimānas, filled with joyous couples; the surface reflects gold and movement, suggesting festival-like luxury.","item_prompts":["floating vimāna-like boats","golden terraces/platforms (suvarṇa-vedikā)","rippling water with reflections","couples seated together","musicians/dancers implied","silk garments, ornaments","crowded deck with men and women in exhilaration"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: broad-eyed figures on a stylized blue-green river, ornate gold detailing on vedikās, rhythmic crowd composition, lotus motifs, flat yet luminous color fields.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: heavy gold-leaf for suvarṇa-vedikā and jewelry, embossed boat-terraces, deep jewel tones, symmetrical crowded deck, shimmering water rendered as patterned bands.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading, refined textiles, controlled expressions of festive joy, detailed ornaments, gentle river reflections.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical river landscape with pale washes, elegant couples, architectural boat-terraces, emphasis on romance and movement, distant ghats hinted."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"festive-descriptive (vilāsa-varṇana)","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"bright, flowing, lightly emphatic on compounds like suvarṇa-vedī-kṛta and vimāna-bhūtāḥ"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Royal Leisure Culture
• Sanskrit Imagery

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates how Purāṇic texts use architectural and celestial metaphors (vimāna) to heighten descriptions of elite leisure and built environments.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit toponym is provided; the verse situates activity 'toye' (upon water), implying lakes, canals, or reservoirs within the described setting.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse is descriptive rather than prescriptive; it indirectly highlights the cultural value placed on artistry, craftsmanship, and pleasurable environments.