Varaha Purana 149.71: Adhyaya 149, Shloka 71
The Sacred Geography and Merit of Dvārakā
Uttara Bhāga (catalog attribution varies) · Wonder Narrative (refrain) within Sacred Geography
अत्राश्चर्यं महाभागे कथ्यमानं मया शृणु ॥ पश्यन्ति मनुजाः सर्वे धर्मकामाः न संशयः
atrāścaryaṃ mahābhāge kathyamānaṃ mayā śṛṇu || paśyanti manujāḥ sarve dharmakāmā na saṃśayaḥ
atrAshcharyaM mahAbhAge kathyamAnaM mayA shRRiNu || pashyanti manujAH sarve dharmakAmA na saMshayaH
सुन्नो भाई, मैं एक अच्छी बात बताता हूँ। जो लोग धरम चाहते हैं वो सब यह देख सकते हैं। इसमें कोई शक नहीं है।
Sandhi Notes
- atrāścaryaṃ = atra āścaryam
- mahābhāge is vocative
- 'na saṃśayaḥ' = 'no doubt' (copula implied)
Varāha
Curious, honored (mahābhāgā)
What is the ‘āścarya’ (marvel) of this place, and who is qualified to witness it?
Perception of the sacred is conditioned by adhikāra—ethical orientation and desire for dharma
Cultivate dharma-intent (satya, śauca, ahiṃsā, devotion) to ‘see’ meaning in sacred places beyond surface phenomena
Addressing Bhū-devī as ‘mahābhāge’, framing instruction as marvel-revelation
Those who are dharma-seeking are granted vision/experience of the marvel of the tīrtha; eligibility is tied to dharma-intent.
Dharma-oriented intent yields access to sacred perception; lack of dharma-intent implies deprivation of that experience.
Varāha Purāṇa 149 (āścarya/tīrtha framing verses around 149.78–149.81)
FAQs
As a repeated framing line, it demonstrates oral-formulaic features in Purāṇic transmission and the structuring of site-based narratives through refrains.
No explicit place-name is given; the verse serves as a narrative hinge introducing the next described phenomenon.
It again connects ethical aspiration (dharma-kāma) with access to or perception of the narrated wonder.
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