Varaha Purana 146.4: Adhyaya 146, Shloka 4
The Greatness of Hṛṣīkeśa at Rurukṣetra: The Origin Narrative of Ruru and the Sacred Site
Pūrva Bhāga · Kṣetra-māhātmya (Supplication for Narrative)
यन्नाम्ना परमं क्षेत्रं हृषीकेश त्वयाश्रितम् ॥ कथयस्व जगन्नाथ यद्यनुग्राह्यता मयि ॥
yan nāmnā paramaṁ kṣetraṁ hṛṣīkeśa tvayāśritam | kathayasva jagannātha yady anugrāhyatā mayi ||
yannAmnA paramaM kShetraM hRRiShIkesha tvayAshritam || kathayasva jagannAtha yadyanugrAhyatA mayi
भगवान, यह जो सबसे बड़ा जगह है, उसका नाम आपसे जुड़ा है। मुझे बतादो, मैं इसके लायक हूँ क्या? जगत के मालिक, आप मुझे यह बात समझा दो।
Sandhi Notes
- यन्नाम्ना = यत् + नाम्ना
- त्वयाश्रितम् = त्वया + आश्रितम्
- कथयस्व = कथय + स्व
- यद्यनुग्राह्यता = यदि + अनुग्राह्यता
Dharā / Pṛthivī
Humble, receptive; reverent longing for instruction
By whose name is this supreme kṣetra connected with you, Hṛṣīkeśa—and please explain it, if I am worthy of your grace?
True understanding of sacred matters depends on humility and fitness (adhikāra); inquiry becomes fruitful when offered as a petition for grace, not as entitlement.
Before studying or visiting a sacred site, adopt a posture of receptivity—pray for clarity, ask respectfully, and let knowledge be received as prasāda.
Earth petitions Jagannātha/Hṛṣīkeśa for instruction, framing herself as a recipient of grace (anugraha).
Hṛṣīkeśa/Jagannātha are Vaiṣṇava epithets later strongly associated with Kṛṣṇa in bhakti traditions, but the verse itself stays at the epithet level.
Builds directly on the etymological query of 146.3; anticipates the forthcoming explanatory kathā by Hṛṣīkeśa/Janārdana
FAQs
It formalizes the transition into an origin-story segment (etiology), a hallmark of māhātmya literature that anchors sacred sites in narrative memory.
The “supreme kṣetra” is the Rurukṣetra/Hṛṣīkeśa setting indicated by the chapter heading; the verse itself emphasizes naming and association.
It emphasizes humility and readiness to learn—presenting knowledge transmission as conditioned by responsibility and receptivity.
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