Varaha Purana 197.1 — Adhyaya 197, Shloka 1

The Division of the Gates of Yama’s City and the Description of the Tribunal Hall

Devanagari script

ऋषिपुत्र उवाच ॥ दशयोजनविस्तारं ततो द्विगुणमायतम् ॥ प्राकारेण परिक्षिप्तं प्रासादशतशोभितम् ॥

Transliteration

ṛṣi-putra uvāca || daśa-yojana-vistāraṃ tato dviguṇam āyatam || prākāreṇa parikṣiptaṃ prāsāda-śata-śobhitam ||

Translation

Ṛṣiputra dit : « Il a dix yojanas de largeur, et le double de cela en longueur ; entouré d’une enceinte, il est embelli par une centaine de sanctuaires. »

Word by Word

• ऋषि-पुत्रः: the sage’s son
• ऋषि-पुत्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ऋषेः पुत्रः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada

• दश-योजन-विस्तारम्: (having) a breadth of ten yojanas
• दश-योजन-विस्तारम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + योजन (प्रातिपदिक) + विस्तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (दशयोजनः विस्तारः)

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: then/from there)

• द्विगुणम्: double
• द्विगुणम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (द्वौ गुणौ यस्य) — ‘double’, agreeing with ‘आयतम्’

• आयतम्: extended/long
• आयतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; accusative singular (neuter)

• प्राकारेण: by/with a wall/rampart
• प्राकारेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• परिक्षिप्तम्: surrounded/encircled
• परिक्षिप्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-क्षिप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; PPP

• प्रासाद-शत-शोभितम्: adorned with hundreds of palaces
• प्रासाद-शत-शोभितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + शोभित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (प्रासादशतेन शोभितम्)

Speaker

Ṛṣiputra (explicit)

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":true,"speaker_role":"observer","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":"sacred-geography / darśana of order","core_concept":"Sacred space is not random: it is measured, enclosed, and ritually articulated through many shrines, mirroring dharmic order.","practical_application":"Approach tīrthas/temple-cities with reverence for their boundaries (prākāra), orientation, and multi-shrine ecology; treat pilgrimage as entering an ordered mandala."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Geography"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: sacred city/temple-fort precinct

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya style passages describing kṣetra-measurements, prākāras, and prāsādas (general parallel)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A panoramic view of a colossal sacred enclosure: a broad-and-long fortified precinct with a continuous rampart and numerous shining shrines rising within.","item_prompts":["wide aerial perspective","prākāra (rampart) encircling the complex","rows/clusters of small prāsādas","processional streets inside","scale cues (tiny figures, banners)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: flattened panoramic temple-city within a red-ochre prākāra, rhythmic shrine silhouettes, ornamental clouds, restrained gold accents, serene sacred geometry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central fortified kṣetra with gold-leaf highlights on shrine vimānas, jewel-toned walls, symmetrical layout emphasizing measured breadth/length.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework showing prākāra and many prāsādas, soft shading, architectural precision, calm devotional atmosphere.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hill-like layered perspective of a walled sacred city, crisp shrine rooftops, pale sky wash, miniature figures to show yojana-scale vastness."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic descriptive","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, measured, architectural-evocative"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Temple Architecture
• Ancient Measures

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a stylized Purāṇic architectural register—large-scale measurements, fortification (prākāra), and numerous shrines—useful for understanding how sacred complexes were imagined in textual geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

No place-name appears in the excerpt; the verse describes an unnamed enclosed sacred complex.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Indirectly, it valorizes the creation and maintenance of sacred/public architecture as a marker of cultural heritage and collective merit.