Varaha Purana 175.1: Adhyaya 175, Shloka 1

The Sanctity of the Kṛṣṇagaṅgā Pilgrimage-Ford and the Account of the Brahmin Vasu’s Daughter

Uttara Bhāga · Kṛṣṇagaṅgā / Yamunā-related Tīrtha narrative

Devanagari script

श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ शृणु चान्यद्वरारोहे कृष्णगङ्गासमुद्भवम् ॥ यमुनास्रोतसि स्नात्वा कृष्णद्वैपायनो मुनिः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 175.1

Transliteration

śrīvarāha uvāca || śṛṇu cānyad varārohe kṛṣṇagaṅgāsamudbhavam || yamunāsrotasi snātvā kṛṣṇadvaipāyano muniḥ ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ພຣະສຣີວະຣາຫະຕັດວ່າ: “ຈົ່ງຟັງຕໍ່ໄປ ໂອ ຜູ້ງາມສູງສົ່ງ ເລື່ອງກຳເນີດແຫ່ງ ກຣິສນະຄັງຄາ. ເມື່ອອາບນ້ຳໃນສາຍທາລາຂອງຍະມຸນາແລ້ວ ມຸນີ ກຣິສນະທະໄວປາຍະນະ (ວະຍາສະ) …”

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Word by Word

• श्रीवराहः: Śrī-Varāha
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: श्रीमान् वराहः
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: श्री + वराह (प्रातिपदिक)

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

• शृणु: listen
• Type: Verb
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• अन्यत्: another (thing)
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'शृणु' इत्यस्य कर्म
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• वरारोहे: O fair lady / O noble one
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: वरस्य आरोहः (श्रेष्ठ-आरोहण/श्रेष्ठा)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: वर + आरोह (प्रातिपदिक)

• कृष्णगङ्गासमुद्भवम्: arisen from the Kṛṣṇa-Gaṅgā
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: कृष्णगङ्गायाः समुद्भवम्; 'अन्यत्' इत्यस्य विशेषण
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: कृष्णगङ्गा + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)

• यमुनास्रोतसि: in the stream of the Yamunā
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: यमुनायाः स्रोतसि
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: यमुना + स्रोतस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• Type: Verb
• Form: कृदन्त अव्यय (gerund/क्त्वान्त), पूर्वकाल (having done)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)

• कृष्णद्वैपायनः: Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (नाम): कृष्णः द्वैपायनः
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: कृष्ण + द्वैपायन (प्रातिपदिक)

• मुनिः: sage
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition to कृष्णद्वैपायनः
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• चान्यत् = च + अन्यत्
• कृष्णगङ्गासमुद्भवम् = कृष्णगङ्गा + समुद्भवम्
• यमुनास्रोतसि = यमुना + स्रोतसि

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

Implicit: ‘Tell me further about the origin and sanctity of the Kṛṣṇagaṅgā and its tīrtha-context in the Yamunā stream.’

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Śravaṇa as sādhana (listening to māhātmya)

Subjects

Sacred GeographyRiver TraditionsPilgrimage CultureTextual Genealogy (Vyāsa)

Core idea

Sacred geography is accessed through attentive listening and remembrance; tīrtha becomes meaningful through lineage (Vyāsa) and narrated origin.

In practice

Approach pilgrimage with śravaṇa: learn the tīrtha’s origin-story and teacher-lineage before/while visiting and bathing.

The Varaha avatara

With the Earth

Varāha addresses the Earth as a listener (‘varārohe’), continuing the instructive sacred-geography narration.

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography
• Heritage Sites

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It introduces a tīrtha-origin narrative linked to the Yamunā and Vyāsa, illustrating how Purāṇas encode pilgrimage networks and authoritative sages into sacred geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

The Yamunā (Yamunāsrotas) is explicitly named; it is commonly identified with the modern Yamuna River of North India.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Attentive transmission and listening (śravaṇa) to cultural memory: knowledge of place and practice is framed as something to be carefully heard and preserved.