Varaha Purana 173.2: Adhyaya 173, Shloka 2
Account of Gokarṇa’s Śuka-Satra, Temple Consecration, and the Resulting Merit
Uttara Bhāga · Gokarṇa–Śuka Narrative (Public Works and Community Participation)
सम्मान्य पूजयामास यथाविभवशक्तितः ॥ मथुरावासिभिर्लोकैरुद्यानं कारयंस्तदा
sammānya pūjayāmāsa yathā-vibhava-śaktitaḥ || mathurā-vāsibhir lokair udyānaṃ kārayaṃs tadā
saMmAnya pUjayAmAsa yathAvibhavashaktitaH || mathurAvAsibhirlokairudyAnaM kArayaMstadA
उसने जितना हो सके उतना इज्जत दी और पूजा की। मथुरा के लोगों के साथ मिलकर उसने एक बगीचा बनवाया।
Sandhi Notes
- मथुरावासिभिर्लोकैरुद्यानं → मथुरा-वासिभिः + लोकैः + उद्यानम् (ः/र् संधि)
Varāha (narration)
Dharma is sustainable when aligned with one’s means and when it benefits the wider community.
Give and host without overextension; support shared sacred spaces—plant trees, maintain gardens, fund water/rest facilities for pilgrims.
Honor and worship should be offered ‘according to one’s capacity’ (yathā-vibhava-śaktitaḥ), and public works (like gardens) are meritorious civic dharma when done with community participation.
Capacity-based giving avoids hypocrisy and accrues puṇya; creating public amenities yields lasting merit and good repute; stinginess or neglect of civic duty diminishes fame and welfare.
Indirect: Mathurā as Kṛṣṇa’s janma-bhūmi is evoked by place-name; the garden anticipates later Vaiṣṇava sacralization of Mathurā’s groves (vana/upavana) associated with Kṛṣṇa-līlā.
Varāha Purāṇa: Mathurā-māhātmya sections that praise groves, tīrthas, and civic merit (general internal thematic link)
FAQs
It preserves a literary memory of civic beautification (garden/park construction) and collective participation, useful for studying ideals of urban culture in Sanskrit narrative sources.
Mathurā is explicitly mentioned; it is commonly identified with modern Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, India.
One should honour others and undertake beneficial works in proportion to one’s capacity (yathā-vibhava-śaktitaḥ).
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