Varaha Purana 88.3: Adhyaya 88, Shloka 3
Account of the Extents of Śālmaladvīpa, Gomedadvīpa, and Puṣkaradvīpa
घृतसमुद्रमावृत्य व्यवस्थितस्तद्विस्तारो द्विगुणस्तत्र च सप्त पर्वताः प्रधानास्तावन्ति वर्षाणि तावत्यो नद्यः । तत्र च पर्वताः । सुमहान् पीतःशातकुम्भात् सार्वगुणसौवर्णरोहितसुमनसकुशल ----- जाम्बूनदवैद्युता इत्येते कुलपर्वता वर्षाणि चेति । अथ षष्ठं गोमेदं कथ्यते । शाल्मलं यथा सुरोदेनावृतं तद्वत् सुरोदोऽपि तद्द्विगुणेन गोमेदेनावृतः । तत्र च प्रधानपर्वतौ द्वावेव । एकस्य तावत्तावसरः । अपरश्च कुमुद इति । समुद्रश्चेक्षुरसस्तद्द्विगुणेन पुष्करेणावृतः । तत्र च पुष्कराख्ये मानसो नाम पर्वतः । तदपि द्विधा छिन्नं वर्षं तत्प्रमाणेन च । स्वादोदकेनावृतम् । ततश्च कटाहम् । एतत् पृथिव्याः प्रमाणम् । ब्रह्माण्डस्य च सकटाहविस्तारप्रमाणम् । एवंविधानामण्डानां परिसंख्यां न विद्यते । एतानि कल्पे कल्पे भगवान् नारायणः क्रोडरूपी रसातलान्तःप्रविष्टानि दंष्ट्रैकैनोद्धृत्य स्थितौ स्थापयति । एष वः कथितो मार्गो भूमेरायामविस्तरः । स्वस्ति वोऽस्तु गमिष्यामि कैलासं निलयं द्विजाः
ghṛtasamudram āvṛtya vyavasthitas tadvistāro dviguṇas tatra ca sapta parvatāḥ pradhānās tāvanti varṣāṇi tāvatyo nadyaḥ | tatra ca parvatāḥ | sumahān pītaḥśātakumbhāt sārva-guṇa-sauvarṇa-rohita-sumanasa-kuśala ----- jāmbūnada-vaidyutā ity ete kulaparvatā varṣāṇi ceti | atha ṣaṣṭhaṃ gomedaṃ kathyate | śālmalaṃ yathā surodenāvṛtaṃ tadvat surodo 'pi taddviguṇena gomedena vṛtaḥ | tatra ca pradhānaparvatau dvāv eva | ekasya tāvat tāvasaraḥ | aparaś ca kumuda iti | samudraś cekṣurasaḥ taddviguṇena puṣkareṇāvṛtaḥ | tatra ca puṣkarākhye mānaso nāma parvataḥ | tad api dvidhā chinnaṃ varṣaṃ tatpramāṇena ca | svādodakenāvṛtam | tataś ca kaṭāham | etat pṛthivyāḥ pramāṇam | brahmāṇḍasya ca sakaṭāhavistārapramāṇam | evaṃvidhānām aṇḍānāṃ parisaṃkhyā na vidyate | etāni kalpe kalpe bhagavān nārāyaṇaḥ kroḍarūpī rasātalāntaḥpraviṣṭāni daṃṣṭraikainoddhṛtya sthitau sthāpayati | eṣa vaḥ kathito mārgo bhūmer āyāmavistaraḥ | svasti vo 'stu gamiṣyāmi kailāsaṃ nilayaṃ dvijāḥ
Rodeada por el Océano de Ghee, su extensión queda establecida allí como doble; y hay siete montañas principales, tantos territorios (varṣas) y tantos ríos. Las montañas allí—Sumahān, Pīta, Śātakumbha, Sārvaguṇa, Sauvarṇa, Rohita, Sumanas, Kuśala, … Jāmbūnada, Vaidyuta—éstas son las montañas fronterizas (kula), y asimismo los territorios. Ahora se describe la sexta (dvīpa), Gomeda. Así como Śālmala está circundada por el Océano de Sura, del mismo modo el Océano de Sura está circundado por Gomeda en el doble de esa medida. Allí sólo hay dos montañas principales: una es Tāvat-tāvasara y la otra se llama Kumuda. El océano es de jugo de caña de azúcar (Ikṣurasa), circundado por Puṣkara al doble de esa medida. En la dvīpa llamada Puṣkara hay una montaña llamada Mānasa. Ese territorio también se divide en dos, proporcionalmente. Está circundado por el océano de Agua Dulce (Svādodaka); y luego (viene) el ‘caldero’ cósmico (kaṭāha). Ésta es la medida de la tierra, y también la medida de la expansión del brahmāṇḍa junto con su envoltura en forma de caldero. No se conoce el número de tales universos en forma de huevo. En cada kalpa, Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa, en forma de jabalí, entrando hasta el extremo de Rasātala, los alza con un solo colmillo y los establece en firmeza. Así os ha sido relatado el recorrido de la longitud y la anchura de la tierra. Que haya bienestar para vosotros; iré a Kailāsa, mi morada, oh nacidos dos veces.»
Rudra
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"cosmic_power","boar_form_detail":"Varāha as ‘kroḍa-rūpī’ (boar-formed) Nārāyaṇa; lifts from Rasātala with a single tusk (daṃṣṭrā-eka).","earth_interaction":"Restorative act: entering Rasātala, raising the earth/universes and establishing them in stability (sthiti)."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"reassured"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Varāha signifies the stabilizing intelligence (Nārāyaṇa) that retrieves ‘fallen’ order from the depths (rasātala) and re-establishes cosmic measure (pramāṇa) and support (ādhāra).","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Single tusk as the ‘lever/pillar’ of re-establishment; descent-as-ritual ‘pravṛtti’ into the depths and ascent as ‘udgama’ restoring the world’s layers (dvīpa–samudra).","vedantic_connection":"Implied īśvara-kartṛtva: the cosmos’ measure and persistence depend on Bhagavān; multiplicity of brahmāṇḍas hints at ananta-śakti and the contingency of worlds upon the sustaining Lord."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of preservation (sthiti)","core_concept":"Cosmic order and even ‘measure’ (pramāṇa) are upheld by the Lord; worlds are many and uncountable, yet each is stabilized by divine agency.","practical_application":"When faced with ‘falling into depths’ (personal or social), emulate the Varāha principle: descend with courage, lift what is essential, and re-establish steadiness through disciplined action and devotion."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Geography","Earth Restoration Narrative"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: mythic cosmological stratification (continents, oceans, underworld, cosmic enclosure)
Related Themes: 87.87.1–87.87.2 (dvīpa/ocean sequencing); 89.89.1 (Earth’s theological inquiry that can follow from such cosmology)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grand cosmic cross-section: concentric oceans and dvīpas leading to the underworld; Varāha plunges into Rasātala and lifts the world(s) with one tusk, setting them back into stable alignment beneath the cosmic ‘cauldron’ boundary.","item_prompts":["Varāha with one prominent tusk lifting a globe/earth","Rasātala as dark-blue depth","concentric rings of oceans (ghee, surā, ikṣurasa, svādodaka)","Puṣkara dvīpa with Mānasa mountain","cosmic kaṭāha rim like a vast bowl"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: powerful Varāha in profile emerging from deep blue underworld, earth balanced on a single tusk; concentric ocean bands as decorative rings; bold reds/ochres for divine body, stylized waves and lotuses.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Varāha central, earth as jeweled sphere on tusk; heavy gold-leaf halo and ocean rings; embossed kaṭāha rim; rich ornamentation emphasizing divine sovereignty.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined Varāha with detailed jewelry and soft shading; transparent layered oceans; earth rendered with delicate continents; dramatic but elegant chiaroscuro for Rasātala.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative split-scene—upper concentric world and lower underworld; Varāha rising diagonally with earth on tusk; lyrical clouds and stylized waves, bright mineral palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic, expansive, concluding benediction","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"sonorous, elevated, authoritative"}
FAQs
It links cosmographic measurement (dvīpas, oceans, brahmāṇḍa extent) with the Varāha earth-restoration motif, central to the Varāha Purāṇa’s identity and to Purāṇic environmental imaginaries.
Purāṇic locales: Gomeda and Puṣkara dvīpas, oceans such as Ikṣurasa and Svādodaka, and the netherworld Rasātala; these are conceptual geographies within the text.
Implicit philosophical instruction emphasizes cosmic maintenance and stewardship: stability (sthiti) is restored through responsible divine action, framing preservation as a valued principle.
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