Varaha Purana 21.31: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 31
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-kṣetra Māhātmya (Sacred Geography and Ritual Topography)
तस्मिन्नृगादयस्त्वश्वास्त्रितत्त्वं च त्रिवेणुकम् । त्रिपूजकं त्रिषवणं धर्माक्षं मारुतध्वनिम् ॥ २१.३२ ॥
tasminn ṛgādayas tv aśvāstritattvaṃ ca triveṇukam | tripūjakaṃ triṣavaṇaṃ dharmākṣaṃ mārutadhvanim || 21.32 ||
tasminnRRigAdayastvashvAstritattvaM cha triveNukam | tripUjakaM triShavaNaM dharmAkShaM mArutadhvanim || 21.32 ||
Us ratha mein kuch khaas naam the jaise Rig aur doosre. Ashvaastri bhi tha, aur teen tattva bhi the. Teen nadiyaan, teen puja, aur din mein teen baar ke vrat bhi the. Dharmaksh aur Maarutdhvani, hawa ki awaaz, yeh sab bhi the.
Sandhi Notes
- तस्मिन्नृगादयः → तस्मिन् + ऋक्-आदयः
- त्वश्वाः → तु + अश्वाः
- त्रितत्त्वं → त्रि-तत्त्वम्
- त्रिवेणुकम्/त्रिपूजकम्/त्रिषवणम् are dvigu compounds
- धर्माक्षं → धर्म-अक्षम्
- मारुतध्वनिम् → मारुत-ध्वनिम्
Varāha
Space becomes sacred through dharma-coded practice (time, recitation, worship) rather than mere physicality.
Approach pilgrimage as disciplined routine: maintain tri-savana remembrance/pūjā, recite Vedic/mantric portions, and treat named sites as prompts for inner alignment.
Toponymy as cosmogram: the ‘threefold’ names (tri-*) map the landscape to Vedic order—knowledge (ṛk), ritual streams (veṇu/veṇī as confluence imagery), and time (savana).
Tri-savana evokes the three Soma-pressings; Tri-pūjaka evokes triple worship (morning/noon/evening); Dharmākṣa suggests ‘axis/eye of dharma’ anchoring the field.
Dharma as the structuring principle of space-time: tīrtha is not merely place but a locus where sattva and right action align the jīva with ṛta/dharma.
Sacred geography is encoded through ritual-temporal markers (tri-savana, tri-pūjaka), implying regulated daily worship and Vedic recitation as the mode of engaging the tīrtha.
Observance of tri-savana/regular pūjā at such tīrthas yields puṇya and dharma-stability; neglect implies loss of merit and weakening of dhārmic orientation.
Indirect: Mathurā-maṇḍala sanctity anticipates Vraja/Kṛṣṇa-līlā geography, though Kṛṣṇa is not named here
Varāha Purāṇa Mathurā-māhātmya style catalogues of tīrthas (adjacent verses in the same adhyāya)
FAQs
The verse functions like a catalog of place-epithets or micro-toponyms, reflecting how Purāṇic texts preserved ritual geography through named features and devotional-ritual markers.
The verse refers to “tasmin” (“in that place”) without naming the broader site in this fragment; the listed terms appear to be localized names/epithets within a larger tīrtha description earlier in the chapter.
Rather than a direct moral injunction, the verse emphasizes structured ritual time (triṣavaṇa) and ordered sacred space through naming—supporting a cultural ethic of maintaining and recognizing heritage landscapes.
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