Varaha Purana 149.8: Adhyaya 149, Shloka 8

The Sacred Geography and Merit of Dvārakā

Devanagari script

पञ्चयोजनविस्तारा दशयोजनमायता ॥ वसाम्यत्र वरारोहे शतपञ्चसमास्तथा ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 149.8

Transliteration

pañcayojanavistārā daśayojanamāyatā || vasāmy atra varārohe śatapañcasamās tathā

Translation

यह स्थान पाँच योजन चौड़ा था और दस योजन लंबा था। मैं वहाँ रहता था, सुंदर, पाँच सौ पाँच साल तक।

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• pañca-yojana-vistārā: (she is) five-yojana wide
• pañca-yojana-vistārā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + vistāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा) Ekavacana (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi-samānārtha-viśeṣaṇa used predicatively: “having a breadth of five yojanas”

• daśa-yojana-māyatā: (she is) ten-yojana long
• daśa-yojana-māyatā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + āyata/āyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा) Ekavacana (एकवचन); predicative adjective: “having length of ten yojanas”

• vasāmi: I dwell / I stay
• vasāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (वस् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, Present), Uttama-puruṣa (उत्तमपुरुष) Ekavacana (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (देश-अव्यय), adverb “here”

• vara-ārohe: O fair-hipped one
• vara-ārohe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + āroha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Sambodhana (सम्बोधन) Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• śata-pañca-samāḥ: one hundred and five years
• śata-pañca-samāḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा) Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); dvigu compound functioning as numeral adjective-noun: “(for) one hundred and five years”

• tathā: thus / likewise
• tathā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, manner/particle “thus/so; likewise”

Speaker

Varāha (addressing Pṛthivī)

Tags

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

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It provides metrological data typical of Purāṇic sacred geography, useful for comparative studies of textual cartography.

Which geographic location is identified?

The implied location is Dvārakā (from the preceding verse), described with breadth and length in yojanas.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily conveys descriptive geography; ethically, it supports the Purāṇic theme that orderly habitation and measured space reflect stability.