Varaha Purana 196.24: Adhyaya 196, Shloka 24

Description of the City of Dharmarāja

Yama

Pūrva Bhāga · Sacred Geography and River Architecture (Vaivasvatī-nadī)

Devanagari script

रथाङ्गसाह्वैः प्रवरैश्च पद्मैः प्रतप्तजाम्बूनद कर्णिकाभिः ॥ या दृश्यते चैव मनोज्ञरूपा सुवर्णसोपानयुता सुकान्ता

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 196.24

Transliteration

rathāṅgasāhvaiḥ pravaraiś ca padmaiḥ prataptajāmbūnada karṇikābhiḥ | yā dṛśyate caiva manojñarūpā suvarṇasopānayutā sukāntā ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

इस नदी में कमल खिले हैं। उनके बीच में सोने की चमक है। यह नदी सुंदर है। इसमे सोना लगाया गया है जैसे सीढ़ियाँ बनी हो।

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Word by Word

• rathāṅga-sāhvaiḥ: called ‘rathāṅga’ (cakra-marked)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; agrees with padmaiḥ; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (रथाङ्गं नाम यस्य)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: rathāṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhva (प्रातिपदिक)

• pravaraiḥ: excellent
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka/Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; agrees with padmaiḥ
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: pravara (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Role: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• padmaiḥ: with lotuses
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)

• pratapta-jāmbūnada-karṇikābhiḥ: with pericarps of heated Jāmbūnada-gold
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्रतप्तेन जाम्बूनदेन कर्णिकाः)
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: pratapta (प्रातिपदिक) + jāmbūnada (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇikā (प्रातिपदिक)

• yā: which (river)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; relative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• dṛśyate: is seen/appears
• Type: Verb
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Singular; passive/medio-passive sense ‘is seen’
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: dṛś (धातु)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Role: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• eva: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण)
• Role: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण/Emphasis)
• Root: eva (अव्यय)

• manojña-rūpā: of pleasing form
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; समासः—कर्मधारयः (मनोज्ञं रूपं यस्याः/या)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: manojña (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)

• suvarṇa-sopāna-yutā: endowed with golden steps
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सुवर्णस्य सोपानानि तैः युता)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + sopāna (प्रातिपदिक) + yuta (प्रातिपदिक)

• su-kāntā: very lovely
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; su as intensifier
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + kānta (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• rathāṅgasāhvaiḥ → rathāṅga-sāhvaiḥ
• caiva → ca eva
• manojñarūpā → manojña-rūpā
• suvarṇasopānayutā → suvarṇa-sopāna-yutā

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shringara rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

What aesthetic and architectural splendors adorn this sacred river—its lotuses and ghats/steps?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Aesthetics as dharma-support

Subjects

GeographyHeritage SitesAesthetics

Core idea

Beauty (śrī) in sacred spaces is not mere luxury—it's a dharmic support that draws minds toward purity and reverence.

In practice

Maintain ghats and sacred architecture with cleanliness and dignity; cultivate beauty that uplifts rather than distracts.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇa
• Sacred Architecture
• Botanical Imagery

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It combines botanical and architectural motifs (lotuses and steps/ghāṭs), reflecting how sacred rivers are imagined as both natural and built heritage.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse continues the description of Vaivasvatī; it does not specify a modern site but suggests riverbank steps (sopāna) as a key feature.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The portrayal of integrated natural beauty and constructed access implies careful, respectful design around waterways rather than destructive alteration.