Varaha Purana 157.22: Adhyaya 157, Shloka 22
Praise of the Malayārjuna Sacred Ford and the Mathurā-Yamunā Pilgrimage Cycle
Uttara Bhāga · Kṛṣṇa-Līlā Topography (Mythic Memory Embedded in Place)
परिष्वज्य हि धर्मेण व्याजेन च सुगोपितम् ॥ मातलिस्तत्र चागत्य देवैरुक्तं यथोदितम् ॥
pariṣvajya hi dharmeṇa vyājena ca sugopitam || mātalis tatra cāgatya devair uktaṃ yathoditam |
pariShvajya hi dharmeNa vyAjena cha sugopitam || mAtalistatra chAgatya devairuktaM yathoditam
लोगों ने उसे गला लगा के मिला। बात को छुपा के रखा। मातलि वहाँ आया। जो देवताओं ने कहा था वैसा ही हुआ।
Sandhi Notes
- चागत्य = च + आगत्य
- यथोदितम् = यथा + उदितम्
Varāha
Attentive, reflective on dharma/propriety
How can one act ‘according to dharma’ while concealing sensitive divine matters through a pretext?
Dharma includes discretion: truth and protection can coexist when guided by higher responsibility and right intention.
When safeguarding vulnerable persons or sacred commitments, maintain respectful outward conduct and avoid harmful disclosure.
Act with dhārmic propriety (dharmeṇa) even when employing a protective pretext (vyājena) to conceal what should not be exposed.
Upholding propriety preserves social and sacred order; indiscreet exposure of protected matters leads to disorder and loss of merit/trust.
Indirect/possible: divine messenger activity can connect to Kṛṣṇa-cycle logistics, but this verse foregrounds Mātali and deva-instruction rather than a Vraja site.
Varāha Purāṇa 157 (messenger and deva-speech segment)
FAQs
The appearance of Mātali reflects shared mythic personnel across Sanskrit corpora, indicating a common narrative repertoire used for legitimizing place and event.
No explicit place-name occurs here; ‘tatra’ ties the event to the chapter’s sacred landscape already under description.
The phrase ‘dharmeṇa’ highlights conduct aligned with propriety, suggesting socially regulated behavior even within mythic storytelling.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
