Varaha Purana 196.14: Adhyaya 196, Shloka 14

Description of the City of Dharmarāja

Yama

Uttara Bhāga · Sacred Geography: River Description

Devanagari script

प्रसन्नेन च तोयेन शीतलेन सुगन्धिना ॥ पुष्प्यत्फलवनाकीर्णा नाना पक्षिसमाकुला

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 196.14

Transliteration

prasannena ca toyena śītalena sugandhinā || puṣpyat-phala-vanākīrṇā nānā-pakṣi-samākulā

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

उसका पानी बिल्कुल साफ है, ठंडा है और महकता भी है। उसके किनारे फूल और फल वाले पेड़ों से भरे हैं। वहाँ कई तरह के पक्षी भी हैं।

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Word by Word

• prasannena: with clear/serene
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka? (agreement with toyena: napuṁsaka) / more properly Puṁliṅga form used instrumentally; Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: prasanna (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Samucchaya-nipāta conjunction
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• toyena: with water
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक)

• śītalena: cool
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana; agreeing with toyena
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: śītala (प्रातिपदिक)

• sugandhinā: fragrant
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana; agreeing with toyena
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: sugandhin (प्रातिपदिक)

• puṣpyat-phala-vanākīrṇā: strewn with flowering fruit-forests/woods
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; qualifying nadī (understood)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: puṣpyat (puṣpya, पुṣ्प्/पुष्प् धातु? adjectival ‘flowering’) + phala (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + ākīrṇa (आ + कृ धातु, क्त)

• nānā-pakṣi-samākulā: crowded with various birds
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; qualifying nadī (understood)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + samākula (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• पुष्प्यत्फलवनाकीर्णा = पुष्प्यत् + फल + वन + आकीर्णा
• नाना पक्षिसमाकुला = नाना + पक्षि + समाकुला

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Riparian forest/tīrtha-grove

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Relieved/pleased—Earth’s beauty and fragrance are affirmed

What she asks

What qualities mark a river as sacred—clarity, coolness, fragrance, and life-supporting abundance?

The teaching

Path

Dharma In Nature

Subjects

EcologyGeographyHeritage Sites

Core idea

Purity and auspiciousness manifest as ecological harmony; sacredness is recognized through life-giving qualities.

In practice

Protect water purity and riverbank forests; treat tīrtha-ecology as part of worship (sevā) rather than mere scenery.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha praises the river’s water and ecology while addressing Bhū in the dialogue frame; interaction is pedagogic—revealing Earth’s sacred ecologies.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography
• Ecological Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves an ecological ideal of riverine health—clear water, fragrance, and abundant flora/fauna—useful for environmental humanities readings of Sanskrit texts.

Which geographic location is identified?

The passage pertains to the river Puṣpodakā; no further geographic markers are present here.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Implicitly, it values clean water and thriving habitats, aligning sacred geography with environmental flourishing.