Varaha Purana 164.26: Adhyaya 164, Shloka 26
The Efficacy of Circumambulating Annakūṭa
Govardhana
Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-Māhātmya (Sacred Geography and Pilgrimage Merits)
स्नात्वा पितॄन्समभ्यर्च्य ब्रह्मलोकमवाप्नुयात् ॥ ततो गच्छेद्देवगिरिं शतबाहुसमुच्छ्रितम् ॥
snātvā pitṝnsamabhyarcya brahmalokamavāpnuyāt || tato gaccheddevagiriṃ śatabāhusamucchritam ||
snAtvA pitRRInsamabhyarchya brahmalokamavApnuyAt || tato gachCheddevagiriM shatabAhusamuchChritam
वहाँ नहा के अपने पुरखो की पूजा करो। ऐसा करने से ब्रह्मा के धाम में जा सकते हो। फिर देवगिरि पर्वत जाओ। वो इतना ऊँचा है जैसे सौ हाथ लंबा हो।
Sandhi Notes
- पितॄन्समभ्यर्च्य = पितॄन् + समभ्यर्च्य
- ब्रह्मलोकमवाप्नुयात् = ब्रह्मलोकम् + अवाप्नुयात्
- गच्छेद्देवगिरिं = गच्छेत् + देवगिरिम्
- शतबाहुसमुच्छ्रितम् = शत + बाहु + समुच्छ्रितम्
Varāha
Curious; seeking guidance on tīrtha-krama and ritual efficacy
Which rites and which sacred places lead to higher worlds such as Brahmaloka, and in what sequence should they be approached?
Ritual purity (snāna) + pitṛ-sevā completes duty and becomes a cause for higher-world attainment.
Perform snāna and pitṛ-arcana/tarpaṇa with śraddhā at prescribed tīrthas; treat pilgrimage as disciplined sādhanā, not tourism.
After स्नान, perform pitṛ-arcana (ancestor worship) to gain higher loka-fruit; then proceed to the next tīrtha (Devagiri) as part of prescribed tīrtha-sevā.
Proper pitṛ-pūjā after bathing yields Brahmaloka-attainment; neglect implies loss of the stated loka-phala and incomplete pitṛ-ṛṇa discharge.
Only general Vaiṣṇava-purāṇic frame
Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya style passages where tīrtha-krama and pitṛ-rites are repeatedly tied to loka-phala
FAQs
It illustrates how Purāṇic texts connect local sacred sites with cosmological destinations (e.g., Brahmaloka), shaping pilgrimage as both geographic movement and moral-ritual practice.
Devagiri is named as a destination; without further markers in the fragment, it is best treated as a Purāṇic toponym that may correspond to multiple historical ‘Devagiri’ identifications in South Asia.
The verse foregrounds ancestral veneration and disciplined ritual conduct as culturally endorsed duties linked to broader cosmological ideals.
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