Varaha Purana 146.75: Adhyaya 146, Shloka 75
The Greatness of Hṛṣīkeśa at Rurukṣetra: The Origin Narrative of Ruru and the Sacred Site
Uttara Bhāga · Tīrtha-Māhātmya (Ruru-kṣetra narrative)
तव नाम्नां च विख्यातमेतत्क्षेत्रं भविष्यति ॥ तव तीर्थे कृतस्नानस्त्रिरात्रोपोषितो नरः ॥
tava nāmnāṁ ca vikhyātam etat kṣetraṁ bhaviṣyati || tava tīrthe kṛta-snānas trirātropoṣito naraḥ ||
tava nAmnAM cha vikhyAtametatkShetraM bhaviShyati || tava tIrthe kRRitasnAnastrirAtropoShito naraH
अब यह जगह तुम्हारे नाम से फेमस हो जाएगी। जो कोई भी यहाँ तुम्हारे तीर्थ पे नहाएगा। और तीन रात का व्रत रखेगा।
Sandhi Notes
- विख्यातमेतत्क्षेत्रं = विख्यातम् + एतत् + क्षेत्रम्
- कृतस्नानस्त्रिरात्रोपोषितो = कृतस्नानः + त्रिरात्रोपोषितः
Varāha
Curious, receptive (listening to tīrtha-māhātmya and ritual efficacy)
How will this kṣetra become renowned, and what observances make a pilgrim’s visit spiritually effective?
External sacred geography becomes inward purification when joined with restraint (upavāsa) and faith in śāstra-vākya.
When visiting a tīrtha, combine snāna with a measured vow (fasting/continence) rather than treating the visit as mere travel.
As instructor, Varāha establishes a tīrtha’s fame and prescribes a pilgrim’s bath and tri-rātra upavāsa as efficacious practice for humans upon Earth.
Implicit is the Purāṇic idea that tīrtha and upavāsa refine the antaḥkaraṇa for dharma.
A pilgrim should bathe at the designated tīrtha and observe a three-night fast (trirātra-upavāsa) to gain the stated sacred benefit.
Observance yields purification/merit as implied by the māhātmya; neglect forfeits the promised tīrtha-phala.
Eligibility for the tīrtha’s purificatory power and accruing kṣetra-puṇya; fame of the site tied to the deity’s name.
The Vaiṣṇava tīrtha framework anticipates later Kṛṣṇa-kṣetra patterns but without direct foreshadowing.
Varāha Purāṇa 146.84 (purification by darśana); Varāha Purāṇa 146.86-87 (Ruru-māhātmya and origin)
FAQs
It records ritual prescriptions (bathing and a three-night fast) that help reconstruct historical pilgrimage practices and tīrtha economies.
The kṣetra is identified by the petitioner’s name within the Ruru-kṣetra narrative; the verse itself does not supply a modern place-name.
It promotes disciplined practice (fasting) paired with purification rites (bathing) as a structured path to moral-spiritual renewal.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
