Varaha Purana 78.9: Adhyaya 78, Shloka 9

Names of the Four Directional Mountain-Kings and Their Lakes

Rudra’s Geographical Description

Devanagari script

अरुणोदं तु पूर्वेण दक्षिणे मानसṃ स्मृतम् । असितोदं पश्चिमे च महाभद्रं तथोत्तरे । कुमुदैः श्वेतकपिलैः कहलारैर्भूषितानि च ॥ ७८.९ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 78.9

Transliteration

aruṇodaṃ tu pūrveṇa dakṣiṇe mānasaṃ smṛtam | asitodaṃ paścime ca mahābhadraṃ tathottare | kumudaiḥ śvetakapilaiḥ kahlārair bhūṣitāni ca || 78.9 ||

Translation

Im Osten liegt Aruṇoda; im Süden wird es als Mānasa überliefert. Im Westen liegt Asitoda, und im Norden Mahābhadra. Sie alle sind geschmückt mit Kumuda-Lotos—weiß und gelblich-braun—und ebenso mit Kahlāra-Wasserlilien.

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Word by Word

• अरुण-उदम्: Arunoda (the ‘reddish’ lake)
• अरुण-उदम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरुण + उद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—अरुणं च तत् उदम् इति कर्मधारय; (सरोनाम)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• पूर्वेण: to the east / on the eastern side
• पूर्वेण: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दिक्शब्दः (instrumental: ‘on the east side’)

• दक्षिणे: in the south
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दिक्शब्दः (locative: ‘in the south’)

• मानसम्: Mānasa (lake)
• मानसम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (सरोनाम)

• स्मृतम्: is called/known as
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘is called/remembered’

• असित-उदम्: Asitoda (the ‘dark’ lake)
• असित-उदम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असित + उद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—असितं च तत् उदम् इति कर्मधारय

• पश्चिमे: in the west
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दिक्शब्दः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• महाभद्रम्: Mahābhadra (lake)
• महाभद्रम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—महच्च तत् भद्रम् इति कर्मधारय; (सरोनाम)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक

• उत्तरे: in the north
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दिक्शब्दः

• कुमुदैः: with kumuda lotuses
• कुमुदैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• श्वेत-कपिलैः: white and tawny
• श्वेत-कपिलैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेत + कपिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—श्वेताश्च कपिलाश्च इति इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व; ‘कुमुदैः/कहलारैः’ इत्यादीनां विशेषणम्

• कहलारैः: with kahlāra flowers
• कहलारैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कह्लार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• भूषितानि: are adorned
• भूषितानि: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √भूष् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘adorned’ (refers to the lakes)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Geography
• Ancient Toponymy
• Ecological Descriptions

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a traditional, direction-based catalog of named waterbodies, reflecting Purāṇic methods of describing sacred landscapes through spatial orientation and toponymy.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse lists four named lakes—Aruṇoda (east), Mānas(a) (south), Asitoda (west), and Mahābhadra (north). In scholarship, “Mānasa” is often discussed in relation to the broader Mānasarovara/Lake Mānas tradition, though this excerpt alone does not provide enough detail for a definitive modern identification of all four.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Rather than a direct moral injunction, the verse conveys a cultural-ecological valuation of waterbodies—depicting them as ornamented by aquatic flora—supporting a broader Purāṇic emphasis on reverence for landscapes and careful attention to natural features.