Varaha Purana 153.33: Adhyaya 153, Shloka 33

The Glory of the Mathurā Sacred Landscape: Saṃyamana Tīrtha and the Twelve Sacred Forests

Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha–vana–kuṇḍa Māhātmya (Observances and cosmological rewards)

Devanagari script

एकादशी कृष्णपक्षे मासि भाद्रपदे हि वा ॥ तत्र स्नातो नरो देवि रुद्रलोके महीयते ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 153.33

Transliteration

ekādaśī kṛṣṇapakṣe māsi bhādrapade hi vā || tatra snāto naro devi rudraloke mahīyate ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

भाद्रपद महीने की कृष्ण पक्ष की एकादशी को भी नहाना चाहिए। उस दिन नहाने वाला शिव जी की दुनिया में बड़ा बन जाता है।

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Word by Word

• ekādaśī: Ekādaśī (11th day)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: ekādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)

• kṛṣṇa-pakṣe: in the dark fortnight
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; 'dark fortnight'
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• māsi: in the month
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)

• bhādrapade: in Bhādrapada
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: bhādrapada (प्रातिपदिक)

• hi: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed)
• Role: Nipāta (निपात)
• Root: hi (अव्यय)

• vā: or/alternatively
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive/optional: or)
• Role: Nipāta (निपात)
• Root: vā (अव्यय)

• tatra: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)

• snātaḥ: having bathed
• Type: Adjective
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: snā (धातु) → snāta (कृदन्त)

• naraḥ: a man
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)

• devi: O Goddess
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)

• rudra-loke: in Rudra’s world
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('in Rudra's world')
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)

• mahīyate: is honored/glorified
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (passive sense: 'is honored')
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: mah (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• kṛṣṇapakṣe analyzed as kṛṣṇa+pakṣe (karmadhāraya)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Tīrtha bathing spot (snāna-sthāna)

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious, seeking ritual clarity

What she asks

When (tithi/month) and by what practice does bathing at the sacred place yield a defined post-mortem realm?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Karma-phala / kāla-viśeṣa

Subjects

CosmologyRitual PracticeSacred Geography

Core idea

Merit is modulated by kāla (sacred time) and deśa (sacred place); disciplined observance channels one toward specific lokas.

In practice

Align pilgrimage with vrata-calendar; perform snāna with sankalpa on Ekādaśī, maintaining purity and restraint appropriate to the day.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha instructs Bhū-devī on a specific ritual time (Ekādaśī) and act (snāna) tied to the site’s fruit.

Dharma

Vrata

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Ancient Ritual Culture
• Cosmological Geography
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows how Purāṇic texts associate ritual acts at specific sites with cosmological destinations, reflecting a structured moral geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse says “there” (tatra), implying a previously mentioned site in the running list; the fragment alone does not specify the exact location-name.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The text links disciplined observance (bathing on an auspicious tithi at a sacred place) with the ideal of posthumous honor, reinforcing normative ritual conduct.