Varaha Purana 69.40: Adhyaya 69, Shloka 40
Agastya’s Vision of Varuṇa as Nārāyaṇa in Ilāvṛta
Pūrva Bhāga · Sacred Geography and Visionary Cosmography (Mahatmya-style narrative)
यावत्पश्याम्यहं राजन् तं ऋषिं तच्च वै पुरम् । तावन्मेरुगिरेर्मूर्ध्निं पश्याम्यात्मानमात्मना ॥ ६९.४० ॥
yāvat paśyāmy ahaṃ rājan taṃ ṛṣiṃ tac ca vai puram | tāvan merugirer mūrdhniṃ paśyāmy ātmānam ātmanā || 69.40 ||
yAvatpashyAmyahaM rAjan tamRRiShiM tachcha vai puram | tAvanmerugirermUrdhniM pashyAmyAtmAnamAtmanA || 69.40 ||
राजा साहब, जब तक मैं उस रिशि को और उस शहर को देखता हूँ, तब तक मैं खुद को मेरु पर्वत के ऊपर देखता हूँ। अपने आप को देख रहा हूँ वहाँ।
Sandhi Notes
- यावत्पश्याम्यहं = यावत् पश्यामि अहम्
- तच्च = तत् च
- मेरुगिरेर्मूर्ध्निं = मेरुगिरेः मূर्ध्नि (visarga→r sandhi)
- पश्याम्यात्मानम् = पश्यामि आत्मानम्
Varāha
Inner perception (ātma-dṛṣṭi) can disclose cosmic realities; sacred places and sages become mirrors for self-knowledge.
Cultivate dhyāna and śraddhā in tīrtha/saintly presence so that external sacred geography becomes an aid to inward recollection and steadiness of mind.
The vision of self on Meru functions as a Purāṇic idiom for yogic/daivī dṛṣṭi: the seer’s inner self mirrors the cosmic axis (Meru), implying identity between microcosmic awareness and macrocosmic order under Viṣṇu’s sovereignty.
Meru as yajña-stambha/axis mundi; ‘ātmanā ātmanam paśyāmi’ suggests inner oblation of mind into the cosmic center rather than external ritual implements.
Antaryāmin motif: the inner self as witness (sākṣin) enabling cosmographic ‘seeing’; aligns with Vaiṣṇava reading where the Lord’s presence as inner controller grants supra-normal perception.
Varāha Purāṇa cosmography sections describing Meru and dvīpas (adjacent to 69.69.41)
FAQs
It illustrates a Purāṇic narrative technique in which sacred geography (a city and a sage) is linked to cosmography (Meru), reflecting how place and visionary experience are intertwined in the textual tradition.
Mount Meru is named; in Purāṇic cosmography it functions as a central cosmic mountain rather than a single securely identified modern terrestrial peak.
The verse primarily conveys a philosophical instruction about disciplined perception and inner awareness (seeing oneself 'by oneself') rather than an explicit moral injunction.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
