Varaha Purana 152.1: Adhyaya 152, Shloka 1

Praise of the Sacred Geography of Mathurā

Devanagari script

अथ मथुरातीर्थ प्रशंसा ॥ सूत उवाच ॥ श्रुत्वा देवस्य माहात्म्यं लोहर्गलनिवासिनः ॥ त्रैलोक्यनाथाधिपतेर्विस्मयं परमं गता ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 152.1

Transliteration

atha mathurātīrtha-praśaṃsā || sūta uvāca || śrutvā devasya māhātmyaṃ lohārgalanivāsinaḥ || trailokyanāthādhipater vismayaṃ paramaṃ gatā ||

Translation

ഇപ്പോൾ മഥുരാതീർത്ഥപ്രശംസ. സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ലോഹാർഗലത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന ദേവന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം കേട്ട്, അവർ ത്രിലോകനാഥന്റെ അധിപനായ പ്രഭുവിനെക്കുറിച്ച് പരമ വിസ്മയത്തിലായി.

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Word by Word

• atha: now; then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/प्रस्ताव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), discourse particle/adverb (प्रस्ताव/अनन्तरार्थक)

• mathurā-tīrtha-praśaṃsā: praise of the Mathurā pilgrimage-place
• mathurā-tīrtha-praśaṃsā: Karta (कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mathurā (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + praśaṃsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: mathurāyāḥ tīrthasya praśaṃsā

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), indeclinable verbal (अव्ययीभाववत्)

• devasya: of the god
• devasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• māhātmyam: greatness; glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• lohārgala-nivāsinaḥ: of the dweller in Lohārgala
• lohārgala-nivāsinaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lohārgala (प्रातिपदिक) + nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन); सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः: lohārgale nivāsin

• trailokya-nātha-adhipateḥ: of the lord/master of the lord of the three worlds
• trailokya-nātha-adhipateḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trailokya (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: trailokyasya nāthaḥ, tasya adhipatiḥ

• vismayam: astonishment
• vismayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vismaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• paramam: supreme; great
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying vismayam

• gatāḥ: went; attained
• gatāḥ: Kriyā (क्रियापद/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Past active participle (क्त/कृत्), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); used predicatively

Speaker

Sūta

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ancient Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It frames the chapter as a tīrtha-māhātmya passage, a common Purāṇic genre used to map cultural heritage landscapes and pilgrimage memory through narrative praise.

Which geographic location is identified?

Lohārgala is named as a sacred site; in scholarship it is generally treated as a tīrtha associated with North Indian pilgrimage circuits, often discussed alongside Mathurā-region sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes attentive listening to sacred-historical accounts (māhātmya) as a means of cultivating reverence and reflective wonder rather than prescribing coercive belief.