Agastya’s Vision of Varuṇa as Nārāyaṇa in Ilāvṛta
अथन् महीमहं सर्वां गतवानस्मि पार्थिव । इलावृतं महावर्षं मेरोः पार्श्वे व्यवस्थितम् ॥ ६९.३ ॥
athan mahīmahaṃ sarvāṃ gatavānasmi pārthiva | ilāvṛtaṃ mahāvarṣaṃ meroḥ pārśve vyavasthitam || 69.3 ||
Kemudian, wahai raja, aku telah mengembara merentasi seluruh bumi; dan aku melihat wilayah besar bernama Ilāvṛta, yang terletak di lereng Gunung Meru.
Varāha
It exemplifies Purāṇic cosmography, where the earth is mapped through symbolic regions (varṣas) centered on Meru, reflecting a classical Indian encyclopedic mode of describing space and cultural geography.
Ilāvṛta (Ilāvṛta-varṣa) is named as a central region adjacent to Mount Meru in Purāṇic world-models; modern scholarship generally treats it as a mytho-cosmographical location rather than a single mappable terrestrial site.
The verse primarily conveys descriptive cosmography rather than a direct ethical injunction; indirectly, it supports a worldview where the earth is a structured, knowable domain worthy of careful description and cultural remembrance.
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.