Varaha Purana 156.1: Adhyaya 156, Shloka 1
The Manifest Sacred Landscape of Mathurā: Merits of Vatsakrīḍanaka, Bhāṇḍīraka, Vṛndāvana, Keśītīrtha, and the Sūrya-Tīrthas
अथ मथुराप्रादुर्भावः ॥ श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ वत्सक्रीडनकं नाम तीर्थं वक्ष्ये परं मम ॥ तत्र रक्तशिलाबद्धं रक्तचन्दनभूषितम्
atha mathurāprādurbhāvaḥ || śrīvarāha uvāca || vatsakrīḍanakaṃ nāma tīrthaṃ vakṣye paraṃ mama || tatra raktaśilābaddhaṃ raktacandanabhūṣitam
अब मथुरा का किस्सा सुनो। वराह भगवान बोले, मैं अपना एक बड़ा तीर्थ बताता हूँ, जिसका नाम है वत्सक्रीडनक। वहाँ लाल पत्थर लगा है, लाल चंदन से सजाया है।
Varāha (explicit: 'śrīvarāha uvāca')
FAQs
It contributes to the Purāṇic mapping of sacred geography by naming a specific tīrtha associated with Mathurā, reflecting the textual construction of pilgrimage landscapes.
Mathurā is explicitly identified; Vatsakrīḍanaka is presented as a tīrtha within that sacred-geographic frame (precise modern identification would require cross-text comparison and regional toponymy studies).
The verse primarily functions as a site-introduction within tīrtha-māhātmya literature, orienting the audience toward culturally valued places and practices rather than issuing a direct moral injunction.
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