Varaha Purana 75.22: Adhyaya 75, Shloka 22

Description of Jambūdvīpa: its regions, mountains, measurements, and cosmic structure

Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmology and Sacred Geography (Varṣa-parvata description)

Devanagari script

वर्षाणि यानि षडत्र तेषां ते वर्षपर्वताः । योजनाग्रं तु वर्षाणां सर्वेषां तद्विधीयते ॥ ७५.२२ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 75.22

Transliteration

varṣāṇi yāni ṣaḍ atra teṣāṃ te varṣaparvatāḥ | yojanāgraṃ tu varṣāṇāṃ sarveṣāṃ tad vidhīyate || 75.22 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Hier gibt es die sechs beschriebenen Regionen (varṣas); sie haben jeweils ihre eigenen Varṣa-Berge (varṣaparvatas). Für alle diese Varṣas ist als Standardmaß eine Breite von einem Yojana festgesetzt.

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Word by Word

• varṣāṇi: regions/years (here: varṣa-divisions)
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (plural)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• yāni: which
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (plural); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ṣaṭ: six
• Type: Adjective
• Form: संख्याविशेषण (numeral); (agreeing with neuter plural varṣāṇi)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)

• atra: here
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb of place ‘here’)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/देश)
• Root: atra (अव्यय)

• teṣām: of those
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसक/पुं (neut/masc), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (plural)
• Role: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• te: they/those
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• varṣa-parvatāḥ: mountains of the varṣas (regional mountains)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (varṣāṇāṃ parvatāḥ)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: varṣa + parvata (प्रातिपदिक)

• yojanāgram: a yojana as the measure/extent
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुष (yojanānām agraṃ / yojana-extent)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: yojana + agra (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• varṣāṇām: of the varṣas
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (plural)
• Role: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• sarveṣām: of all
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसक/पुं (neut/masc), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (plural)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)

• tat: that
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• vidhīyate: is prescribed/assigned
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive voice)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: vi-√dhā (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• षडत्र = षट् + अत्र
• योजनाग्रं = योजन + अग्रं
• तद्विधीयते = तत् + विधीयते

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious, methodical (tracking divisions and measures)

What she asks

What are the varṣa-divisions and what mountains demarcate them, and what standard measure applies to their breadth?

The teaching

Path

Order And Measure

Subjects

CosmologyGeography

Core idea

Cosmic space is articulated through boundaries and standard measures.

In practice

In study, pilgrimage lore, or visualization, attend to ‘limits’ (parvata/boundary) and ‘measure’ (yojana) to avoid confusion and cultivate disciplined understanding.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha continues instructing Earth on the structure of varṣas and their boundary mountains.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects the Purāṇic practice of organizing the world into named regions (varṣas) bounded by mountains, using standardized distance-units (yojana) to present a systematic cosmographic geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

No single identifiable historical location is named in this verse; it refers generically to ‘varṣas’ and their boundary-mountains within the Purāṇic cosmological map rather than a verifiable modern site.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse is primarily descriptive and taxonomic rather than ethical; its philosophical function is to present an ordered, measurable conception of the world as part of a broader cosmological account.