Varaha Purana 82.28: Adhyaya 82, Shloka 28

The Descent of the Rivers: The Sky-Gaṅgā and Her Fourfold Division

Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmography and Sacred Geography (Jambūdvīpa / Bhadrāśva–Ketumāla descriptions)

Devanagari script

ताश्च नदीर्ये पिबन्ति ते दशवर्षसहस्रायुषः।

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 82.28

Transliteration

tāś ca nadīr ye pibanti te daśa-varṣa-sahasrāyuṣaḥ

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ആ നദികളുടെ ജലം പാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവർക്ക് പത്തായിരം വർഷം ആയുസ്സ് ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

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Word by Word

• tāḥ: those (them)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• nadīḥ: rivers
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)

• ye: who
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); relative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• pibanti: drink
• Type: Verb
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: pā (धाातु)

• te: they
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• daśa-varṣa-sahasra-āyuṣaḥ: (they are) of a lifespan of ten-thousand years
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); बहुवचन-विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (आयुषः = आयुः-सम्बन्धि), ‘having a lifespan of ten thousand years’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + āyus (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• ताश्च = ताः + च
• नदीर्ये = नदीः + ये
• दशवर्षसहस्रायुषः = दश-वर্ষ-सहस्र-आयुषः (समास)

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Tīrtha-water (pāna)

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Karma-phala / sacred ecology

Subjects

CosmologyGeographySacred RiversLongevity Traditions

Core idea

Nature, when approached as sacred and with discipline, becomes a conduit for auspicious fruits (āyus, ojas, puṇya).

In practice

Practice clean, mindful water-use; approach tīrtha with śauca and gratitude; pair ritual acts with ethical living for lasting well-being.

Symbolism of the boar

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmography
• Ancient Geography
• Cultural Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a common Purāṇic motif where sacred waters are linked with extraordinary longevity, reflecting cultural ideas of health, purity, and landscape sacralization.

Which geographic location is identified?

The verse refers generally to previously mentioned rivers within the cosmographic regions under discussion (e.g., Bhadrāśva/Ketumāla in the surrounding narrative), without naming a modern-identifiable river here.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Implicitly, it emphasizes the cultural value placed on reverent engagement with waterscapes; the verse functions more as a descriptive cosmographic claim than a direct moral injunction.