Varaha Purana 87.2: Adhyaya 87, Shloka 2
Description of Krauñcadvīpa: its mountains, regions, rivers, and encircling ocean
Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmography of the Dvīpas and Oceans (Ancient Geography)
गौरी कुमुद्वती चैव सन्ध्या रात्रिर्मनोजवा ख्यातिश्च पुण्डरीका च गङ्गा सप्तविधाः स्मृताः । गौरी सैव पुष्पवहा कुमुद्वती ताम्रवती रोधसन्ध्या सुखावहा च मनोजवा च क्षिप्रोदा च ख्यातिः सैव गोबहुला पुण्डरीका चित्रवेगा शेषाः क्षुद्रनद्यः ॥ क्रौञ्चद्वीपो घृतोदेनावृतः । घृतोदा शाल्मलेनेति
gaurī kumudvatī caiva sandhyā rātrir manojavā khyātiś ca puṇḍarīkā ca gaṅgā saptavidhāḥ smṛtāḥ | gaurī saiva puṣpavahā kumudvatī tāmravatī rodhasandhyā sukhāvahā ca manojavā ca kṣiprodā ca khyātiḥ saiva gobahulā puṇḍarīkā citravegā śeṣāḥ kṣudranadyaḥ || krauñcadvīpo ghṛtodenāvṛtaḥ | ghṛtodā śālmaleneti
gaurI kumudvatI chaiva sandhyA rAtrirmanojavA khyAtishcha puNDarIkA cha ga~NgA saptavidhAH smRRitAH| gaurI saiva puShpavahA kumudvatI tAmravatI rodhasaMdhyA sukhAvahA cha manojavA cha kShiprodA cha khyAtiH saiva gobahulA puNDarIkA chitravegA sheShAH kShudranadyaH|| krau~nchadvIpo ghRRitodenAvRRitaH| ghRRitodA shAlmaleneti
ഗൗരീ, കുമുദ്വതീ, സന്ധ്യാ, രാത്രി, മനോജവാ, ഖ്യാതി, പുണ്ഡരീകാ, ഗംഗാ—ഇവയെ ഏഴ് നദികളായി സ്മരിക്കുന്നു. ഗൗരിയെ പുഷ്പവഹാ, കുമുദ്വതിയെ താമ്രവതീ, രോധസന്ധ്യയെ സുഖാവഹാ, മനോജവയെ ക്ഷിപ്രോദാ, ഖ്യാതിയെ ഗോബഹുലാ, പുണ്ഡരീകയെ ചിത്രവേഗാ എന്നും വിളിക്കുന്നു; ശേഷമുള്ളവ ചെറുനദികളാണ്. ക്രൗഞ്ചദ്വീപം ഘൃതോദാ (നെയ്യുസമുദ്രം) കൊണ്ട് ആവൃതമാണ്; ‘ഘൃതോദാ’ ശാല്മലദ്വീപുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടതാണെന്നും പറയുന്നു.
Sandhi Notes
- रात्रिर्मनोजवा → रात्रिः + मनोजवा
- ख्यातिश्च → ख्यातिः + च
- सैव → सा + एव
- घृतोदेनावृतः → घृतोदेन + आवृतः
- शाल्मलेनेति → शाल्मलेन + इति
Rudra
Curious
Waters are many-named and many-formed, yet function as one sustaining principle within cosmic order.
Use the ‘many names, one function’ motif to cultivate non-sectarian understanding and reverence for tīrthas/waters as supports of purity and steadiness.
87.87.1 (Krauñcadvīpa structure); 88.88.2 (sequence of oceans/dvīpas)
FAQs
It records river-name lists with synonym/alternate-name mappings—high-value data for lexicons, named-entity recognition, and Purāṇic gazetteer construction.
Krauñcadvīpa’s river system and the encircling Ghṛtoda ocean; these belong to Purāṇic cosmography rather than modern cartography.
No explicit ethical instruction; the text is descriptive and classificatory.
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