Varaha Purana 77.4 — Adhyaya 77, Shloka 4
Measurements of Mount Meru, the Boundary Mountains, and the Four Directional Great Trees
जठरो देवकूटश्च पूर्वस्यां दिशि पर्वतौ । पूर्वपश्चायतावेतावर्णवान्तरव्यवस्थितौ । मर्यादापर्वतान् एतानष्टानाहुर्मनीषिणः ॥ ७७.४ ॥
jaṭharo devakūṭaś ca pūrvasyāṁ diśi parvatau | pūrva-paścāyatāv etāv arṇavāntar-vyavasthitau | maryādā-parvatān etān aṣṭān āhur manīṣiṇaḥ || 77.4 ||
東方にはジャタラ（Jaṭhara）とデーヴァクータ（Devakūṭa）の二山がある。この二山は東から西へと延び、諸海の間に位置する。賢者たちはこの八つを「境界の山」（maryādā-parvata）と説く。
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Naming and placing Jaṭhara and Devakūṭa in the east presents cosmos as a knowable, name-bearing body; ‘between the oceans’ suggests containment of the world by waters, with mountains as structural ribs.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"‘Between the oceans’ echoes the yajña-field bounded by enclosing lines; the east (pūrva) is the ritual-facing direction, so eastern boundary-mountains function like protective eastern posts of the vedi.","vedantic_connection":"Nāma-rūpa (name-form) organization: the wise (manīṣiṇaḥ) articulate cosmic intelligibility; directional placement reflects buddhi’s ordering of experience under Īśvara."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"epistemic-discipline","core_concept":"Wisdom includes accurate naming, orientation, and recognition of limits (maryādā) in the world.","practical_application":"In study and practice, proceed directionally and methodically—define scope, boundaries, and terms before deeper inquiry."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Cosmology","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: cosmological mountain boundary
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 77.77.3 (eight boundary-mountains); Varāha Purāṇa 77.77.5-6 (Meru and its supports)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A focused eastern panel of a cosmic map: two prominent mountains labeled Jaṭhara and Devakūṭa, stretching east-to-west, with oceans shown on either side and a compass-like east indicator.","item_prompts":["two named peaks","east direction banner/sunrise motif","east-to-west ridge line","two oceans flanking","sage-annotated map feel"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized twin mountains with Malayalam/Sanskrit-like label cartouches; sunrise in the east; decorative ocean bands; symmetrical ornamentation.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: twin gold-highlighted peaks; embossed labels; glittering ocean borders; strong frontal composition with east signified by rising sun in gold.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined twin-peak composition; subtle ocean textures; neat inscriptions; calm pastel palette with precise outlines.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical twin ridges with a rosy dawn; patterned waves for oceans; small sage-figure ‘manīṣi’ pointing to the map."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and cartographic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"madhyama","voice_tone":"clear, enumerative, authoritative"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic model of world-geography in which major mountains function as recognized natural boundaries (maryādā), reflecting how premodern Sanskrit texts organized space through directional and ocean-delimited features.
The verse names two eastern boundary-mountains, Jaṭhara and Devakūṭa. Their precise modern identification is uncertain; in scholarship they are generally treated as elements of Purāṇic cosmographic mapping rather than directly verifiable contemporary toponyms.
The verse primarily conveys a classificatory principle—recognizing natural features as boundaries that structure inhabited space—supporting a broader cultural emphasis on respecting geographic limits and the ordered layout of the world.
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