Varaha Purana 29.4: Adhyaya 29, Shloka 4

The Birth and Marriages of the Direction-Goddesses and the Daśamī Observance

Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmological-Iconographic Enumerations (Directional/Spatial Schema)

Devanagari script

पूर्वा च दक्षिणा चैव प्रतीची चोत्तरा तथा । ऊर्ध्वाधरा च षण्मुख्याः कन्या ह्यासंस्तदा नृप ॥ २९.४ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 29.4

Transliteration

pūrvā ca dakṣiṇā caiva pratīcī cottarā tathā | ūrdhvādharā ca ṣaṇmukhyāḥ kanyā hy āsan tadā nṛpa || 29.4 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

പൂർവാ, ദക്ഷിണാ, അതുപോലെ പ്രതീചീ, ഉത്തരാ; കൂടാതെ ഊർധ്വാ, അധരാ—ഈ ആറു പ്രധാനരൂപിണികളായ കന്യകൾ അന്ന്, ഹേ നൃപ, സന്നിഹിതരായിരുന്നു।

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Word by Word

• pūrvā: the eastern (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.); adjective used substantively
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• dakṣiṇā: the southern (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom.), Ekavacana; adjective used substantively
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• eva: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (particle of emphasis/अवधारण)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: eva (अव्यय)

• pratīcī: the western (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom.), Ekavacana; adjective used substantively
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: pratīcī (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• uttarā: the northern (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom.), Ekavacana; adjective used substantively
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)

• tathā: likewise/so also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; prakāra-vācaka (adverb of manner/प्रकार)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)

• ūrdhva-adharā: the upper-and-lower (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom.), Ekavacana; dvandva expressing pair ‘upper and lower’, used substantively
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक) + adhara (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• ṣaṇmukhyāḥ: six-faced (ones)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom.), Bahuvacana (pl.); bahuvrīhi ‘having six faces/heads’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: ṣaṇ (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक) + -ya (तद्धित)

• kanyāḥ: maidens/daughters
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom.), Bahuvacana (pl.)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)

• hi: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Nipāta; hetu/avadhāraṇa (particle ‘indeed/for’)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: hi (अव्यय)

• āsan: were
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (Imperfect/लङ्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana (pl.)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: as (अस् धातु)

• tadā: then/at that time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (temporal adverb/काल)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)

• nṛpa: O king
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Sambodhana vibhakti (Vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana (sg.)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• चैव = च + एव
• चोत्तरा = च + उत्तराः (here uttarā)
• ह्यासन् = हि + आसन्

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Cosmic

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Path

Cosmology

Subjects

CosmologySacred GeographyIconographySpatial Orientation

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇa Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ancient Geography
• Directional Cosmology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a classical six-direction spatial model (east, south, west, north, up, down), a common cosmological and ritual framework in Sanskrit literature used for mapping space, rites, and sacred geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific toponym appears in this verse; it presents a generalized directional taxonomy rather than naming a particular site.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse is primarily descriptive, organizing space into a sixfold schema; any ethical implication is indirect—supporting ordered orientation and disciplined understanding of the world rather than issuing a direct moral injunction.