Varaha Purana 149.11: Adhyaya 149, Shloka 11

The Sacred Geography and Merit of Dvārakā

Pūrva Bhāga · City Submergence Motif (Halāyudha and the Sea)

Devanagari script

चन्द्रपाण्डुरसङ्काशो वनमाली हलायुधः ॥ हलेनाकृष्य नगरं समुद्रं गमयिष्यति ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 149.11

Transliteration

candrapāṇḍurasaṅkāśo vanamālī halāyudhaḥ || halenākṛṣya nagaraṃ samudraṃ gamayiṣyati

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

जैसे चाँद चमके, वैसा ही वो है। उसने वन माला पहनी है और हल चलाता है। वो हल से शहर को खींच के समुंदर में ले जाएगा।

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Word by Word

• candra-pāṇḍura-saṅkāśaḥ: having a moon-pale appearance
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा) Ekavacana (एकवचन); “moon-pale in appearance”
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇḍura (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅkāśa (प्रातिपदिक)

• vana-mālī: the forest-garlanded one
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा) Ekavacana (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक) + mālin (प्रातिपदिक)

• hala-āyudhaḥ: he whose weapon is the plough
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा) Ekavacana (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: hala (प्रातिपदिक) + āyudha (प्रातिपदिक)

• halena: with the plough
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (तृतीया) Ekavacana (एकवचन); karaṇa-instrumental
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: hala (प्रातिपदिक)

• ākṛṣya: having dragged
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्/य-प्रत्यय), “having dragged/pulled”
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Root: ā-√kṛṣ (कृष् धातु)

• nagaram: the city
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (द्वितीया) Ekavacana (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)

• samudram: to the ocean
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (द्वितीया) Ekavacana (एकवचन); destination with verb of causing motion
• Role: Karma (कर्म) / Gati-karman (गति-कर्म)
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)

• gamayiṣyati: will cause (it) to go / will take
• Type: Verb
• Form: Luṭ-lakāra (लुट्, Future), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष) Ekavacana (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), ṇijanta (णिजन्त, causative)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु) [causative: gamay-]

Sandhi Notes

• halenākṛṣya: halena + ākṛṣya (a+ā→ā)
• candrapāṇḍurasaṅkāśaḥ is a multi-member compound

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Raudra rasa

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Path

Impermanence

Subjects

Sacred GeographyMythic CatastropheHeritage MemoryOceanic Landscape

Core idea

Even magnificent human/divine-built cities are subject to dissolution; cosmic cycles absorb forms back into the elements.

In practice

Hold achievements lightly; invest in dharma and inner steadiness rather than permanence of structures.

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Ancient Geography
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It contributes to the broader Indic tradition of Dvārakā’s disappearance into the sea, relevant to cultural memory and sacred geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

The sea (samudra) is explicitly mentioned; the ‘city’ is contextually Dvārakā.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Impermanence of human settlements is emphasized; even celebrated cities can be subject to dissolution within cosmic time.