Varaha Purana 168.1: Adhyaya 168, Shloka 1
The Merit of Seeing Mathurā’s Guardian-Deity and a Catalog of Mathurā’s Sacred Geography
धरण्युवाच ॥ मथुरां रक्षते कोऽसौ क्षेत्रपालो व्यवस्थितः ॥ तेन दृष्टेन यत्पुण्यं कथयस्वाखिलं प्रभो ॥
dharaṇy uvāca || mathurāṃ rakṣate ko 'sau kṣetrapālo vyavasthitaḥ || tena dṛṣṭena yatpuṇyaṃ kathayasv ākhilaṃ prabho
धरणी ने पूछा, प्रभु, मथुरा की रक्षा कौन करता है? वो क्षेत्रपाल है। उससे देखने से क्या पुण्य मिलता है, वो सब बताओ।
Pṛthivī / Dharaṇī (The Earth, the Inquirer)
FAQs
It introduces Mathurā as a protected sacred landscape and preserves the Purāṇic concept of kṣetrapāla guardianship tied to pilgrimage merit.
Mathurā—classically and continuously identified with the historic city of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, a major cultural-heritage zone in Sanskrit literature.
The verse promotes informed engagement with heritage landscapes by asking about guardianship, meaning, and the ethical value (puṇya) associated with encounter.
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