Varaha Purana 152.6: Adhyaya 152, Shloka 6

Praise of the Sacred Geography of Mathurā

Devanagari script

इति कृत्वा च मे देव त्वाह्लादो हृदि वर्त्तते ॥ लोहर्गलात् परं श्रेष्ठं गुह्यं परमदुर्लभम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 152.6

Transliteration

iti kṛtvā ca me deva tvāhlādo hṛdi varttate || lohārgalāt paraṃ śreṣṭhaṃ guhyaṃ paramadurlabham ||

Translation

Setelah berkata demikian, wahai Dewa, kegembiraan tentang-Mu bersemayam di dalam hatiku. Melampaui Lohārgala ada sesuatu yang lebih unggul—rahsia dan amat sukar diperoleh.

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Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), quotative particle (इति-प्रयोगः)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषणम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त), from √kṛ (कृ), ‘having done’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• me: my / of me
• me: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• deva: O god
• deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधनम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• tvā: you
• tvā: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• āhlādaḥ: joy, delight
• āhlādaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āhlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• hṛdi: in the heart
• hṛdi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरणम्/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• varttate: exists, remains
• varttate: Kriyā (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• lohārgalāt: than an iron bolt/bar
• lohārgalāt: Apādāna (अपादानम्/point of comparison ‘than’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lohārgala (प्रातिपदिक: loha + ārgala)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); Tatpuruṣa: loha-ārgala (लोह-आर्गल) ‘iron-bolt/iron-bar’

• param: higher, beyond
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); used adjectivally

• śreṣṭham: best, excellent
• śreṣṭham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• guhyam: secret
• guhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• parama-durlabham: extremely rare
• parama-durlabham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama + durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); Karmadhāraya: parama-durlabha (परम-दुर्लभ) ‘supremely hard-to-obtain’

Speaker

Pṛthivī (Dharaṇī)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ancient Geography
• Sanskrit Religious Discourse (descriptive)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows the Purāṇic technique of ranking tīrthas and introducing a ‘more excellent’ site, which helps reconstruct pilgrimage hierarchies in cultural history.

Which geographic location is identified?

Lohārgala is explicitly named as a tīrtha; the verse anticipates another site considered superior, to be identified in subsequent lines.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It encourages discernment and inquiry: the speaker asks to be guided toward what is ‘best’ and ‘rare,’ framed as a careful search for meaningful places and teachings.