Varaha Purana 181.2: Adhyaya 181, Shloka 2

Ritual Procedure for Installing and Consecrating a Madhūka-Wood Icon

Uttara Bhāga · Sacred geography (kṣetra-prabhāva) — Earth’s response

Devanagari script

संश्रुत्य विस्मयाविष्टा प्रत्युवाच वसुन्धरा ॥ धरण्युवाच ॥ अहो क्षेत्रप्रभावो वै यस्त्वया समुदाहृतः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 181.2

Transliteration

saṃśrutya vismayāviṣṭā pratyuvāca vasundharā || dharaṇy uvāca || aho kṣetra-prabhāvo vai yas tvayā samudāhṛtaḥ

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

यह सब सुन के वसुंधरा हैरानी में पड़ गई। उसने जवाब दिया। धरणी ने कहा, अरे कितना बड़ा है इन सब जगह का असर जो तुमने बताया।

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Word by Word

• संश्रुत्य: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Form: उपसर्ग: सम्; क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having heard well)
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया; पूर्वक्रिया)
• Root: श्रु (धातु)

• विस्मय-आविष्टा: overcome with astonishment
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) विशेषण (she who is seized by wonder)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता; विशेषण)
• Root: विस्मय + आविष्ट (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)

• प्रत्युवाच: replied
• Type: Verb
• Form: उपसर्ग: प्रति; लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: वच् (धातु)

• वसुन्धरा: Vasundharā (Earth)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: वसुन्धरा (प्रातिपदिक)

• धरणी: Dharaṇī (Earth)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्तृ-निर्देश (speaker tag)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक)

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: वच् (धातु)

• अहो: oh!/indeed!
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मयादिबोधक निपात (exclamation particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/उद्गार)
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)

• क्षेत्र-प्रभावः: the power of the sacred place
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: क्षेत्र + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (particle: indeed)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: वै (अव्यय)

• यः: which
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• त्वया: by you
• Type: Noun
• Form: द्वितीयपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (by you)
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• समुदाहृतः: has been declared/mentioned
• Type: Verb
• Form: उपसर्ग: सम्+उद्+आ; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (यः ... समुदाहृतः)
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया; कर्मणि-भाव)
• Root: उद्-आ-हृ (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• विस्मयाविष्टा = विस्मय-आविष्टा
• धरण्युवाच = धरणी उवाच
• यस्त्वया = यः त्वया

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Sacred landscape (conceptual)

Speaker

Pṛthivī / Dharaṇī / Vasundharā

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She asks

Her state of mind

Amazed, reverent, mentally uplifted by hearing about tīrtha/kṣetra power.

What she asks

Implicit pivot: if places have such power by your proclamation, what is the deeper principle behind sanctity and divine presence?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Philosophy of place / sacrality

Subjects

GeographyHeritage SitesPhilosophy of Place

Core idea

Kṣetra-prabhāva: sanctity is real and transformative when grounded in divine revelation and sustained dharmic practice.

In practice

Approach pilgrimage and heritage sites with śraddhā and ethical discipline, treating them as living loci of remembrance and transformation.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Dialogue frame: Earth responds in wonder to the Lord’s prior exposition on kṣetra-prabhāva (power of sacred places).

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Ancient Geography
• Cultural Heritage
• Purāṇic Dialogue

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It foregrounds ‘kṣetra-prabhāva’ as a key Purāṇic category, supporting the study of how texts legitimize pilgrimage landscapes and heritage value through narrative dialogue.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific site is identified; the verse is a general acknowledgment of the potency attributed to kṣetras.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Respect for culturally valued places is implied through recognition of their ‘prabhāva’ and through attentive listening within the teacher–inquirer framework.