Varaha Purana 151.67: Adhyaya 151, Shloka 67

The Sacred Greatness of Lohārgala

The ‘Iron-Bolt’ Tīrtha

Uttara Bhāga · Tīrtha-Māhātmya (Sacred Geography: Veda-associated streams)

Devanagari script

अथ पश्चिमपार्श्वेन यजुर्वेदेन संयुता ॥ अथ दक्षिणपार्श्वेन चाथर्वणसमन्विता ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 151.67

Transliteration

atha paścimapārśvena yajurvedena saṃyutā || atha dakṣiṇapārśvena cātharvaṇasamanvitā

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ഇപ്പോൾ പടിഞ്ഞാറൻ പാർശ്വത്തിൽ യജുർവേദവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ധാരയുണ്ട്; തെക്കൻ പാർശ്വത്തിൽ അതർവ പരമ്പരയോടു ചേർന്ന മറ്റൊരു ധാരയും ഉണ്ട്।

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Word by Word

• atha: now / then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Particle/adverb (निपात/क्रियाविशेषण) indicating sequence
• Role: Anukrama (अनुक्रम)
• Root: atha (अव्यय)

• paścima-pārśvena: by the western side
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय ‘western side’
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) / directional locus
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक) + pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)

• yajur-vedena: with the Yajurveda
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष (yajurveda)
• Role: Karaṇa (करण) / association marker
• Root: yajus (प्रातिपदिक) + veda (प्रातिपदिक)

• saṃyutā: joined / connected
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); past participle (क्त) qualifying an implied dhārā
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of (dhārā)
• Root: saṃyuta (कृदन्त; √yuj युज् योगे धातु)

• atha: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Particle/adverb (निपात/क्रियाविशेषण) indicating sequence
• Role: Anukrama (अनुक्रम)
• Root: atha (अव्यय)

• dakṣiṇa-pārśvena: by the southern side
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय ‘southern side’
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) / directional locus
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)

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

• atharvaṇa-samanvitā: accompanied by the Atharvan (Atharvaveda)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); compound in association sense: atharvaṇā samanvitā
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of (dhārā)
• Root: atharvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (कृदन्त; √anv-i/√vṛt? here from sam-anv-√i ‘to be accompanied’; lexical samanvita)

Sandhi Notes

• paścimapārśvena = paścima-pārśvena
• yajurvedena = yajur-vedena
• cātharvaṇasamanvitā = ca atharvaṇa-samanvitā

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Veda-associated tīrtha-streams (dhārās)

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Ritual-philosophy / śruti-anchoring of place

Subjects

GeographyCosmologyHeritage Sites

Core idea

Tīrtha is not merely physical; it is a convergence of space, direction, and Vedic meaning—outer geography mirrors inner discipline.

In practice

When visiting tīrthas, pair bathing with Veda-recitation, sandhyā, and mindful orientation (dik-smaraṇa), treating the journey as a moving yajña.

Symbolism of the boar

Mathura and Krishna

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vedic Reception
• Ancient Geography
• Purāṇa Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows how Purāṇic texts integrate Vedic categories into place-making, reinforcing a cultural geography that links textual lineages to natural features.

Which geographic location is identified?

Only relative directions (west/south) are specified; the mapping is internal to the Brahmakuṇḍa sacred complex.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse supports an ethos of valuing sites as multi-layered heritage (natural + textual), encouraging respectful custodianship.