Varaha Purana 166.23: Adhyaya 166, Shloka 23
The Greatness of the Sacred Pond Called Asikuṇḍa
Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-Māhātmya (Mathurā–Asikuṇḍa Context)
वामनस्य तृतीया वै चतुर्थी राघवस्य च ॥ एताश्चतस्रो यः पश्येत्स्नात्वा कुण्डेऽसिसंज्ञिते ॥
vāmanasya tṛtīyā vai caturthī rāghavasya ca || etāś catasro yaḥ paśyet snātvā kuṇḍe 'sisaṃjñite
vAmanasya tRRitIyA vai chaturthI rAghavasya cha || etAshchatasro yaH pashyetsnAtvA kuNDe.asisaMj~nite
तीसरी मूर्ति वामन की है और चौथी राघव की है। असि नाम के कुंड में नहा के जो कोई भी इन चारों मूर्तियों को देख लेता है उसका काम बन जाता है।
Sandhi Notes
- एताश्चतस्रो → एताः चतस्रः
- पश्येत्स्नात्वा → पश्येत् स्नात्वा
- कुण्डेऽसिसंज्ञिते → कुण्डे असिसंज्ञिते
Varāha
Curious; attentive to tīrtha-vidhi
Which sacred forms are to be seen after bathing at Asikuṇḍa, and what is the proper ritual sequence?
Tīrtha is activated by right action: snāna followed by darśana with remembrance of avatāras.
Perform snāna with saṅkalpa, then complete the prescribed darśana-sequence rather than treating the site as mere scenery.
After bathing in Asikuṇḍa, one should behold the four designated divine forms (including Vāmana as the third and Rāghava as the fourth).
Proper snāna + darśana yields tīrtha-phala; omission diminishes the intended merit of the visit.
Implicit Vaiṣṇava frame via Vāmana and Rāghava.
Varāha Purāṇa 166.27-29 (fruit of all Mathurā tīrthas; Asikuṇḍa greatness; sequencing)
FAQs
It documents a tīrtha protocol—bathing followed by viewing sacred images—typical of Purāṇic pilgrimage literature, useful for mapping historical devotional landscapes in the Mathurā region.
A pond (kuṇḍa) called “Asi,” i.e., Asikuṇḍa, situated in the broader Mathurā tīrtha milieu as implied by adjacent verses.
A discipline of ritual purity and mindful engagement with cultural heritage sites (bathing and respectful viewing) as a form of self-cultivation.
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