Varaha Purana 80.2: Adhyaya 80, Shloka 2

Cosmographic Ordering of the Southern and Western Quarters: Valleys, Forest-Plateaus, and Sacred Sites

Pūrva Bhāga · Sacred Geography & Forest Descriptions (Vana–Māhātmya)

Devanagari script

फलितं तद्वनं भाति महाकूर्मोपमैः फलैः ॥ तद्वनं देवयोन्योऽष्टौ सेवन्ते सर्वदैव ॥ ८०.२ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 80.2

Transliteration

phalitaṃ tad vanaṃ bhāti mahākūrmopamaiḥ phalaiḥ || tad vanaṃ devayonyo 'ṣṭau sevante sarvadaiva || 80.2 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Rimba itu tampak berseri kerana sarat dengan buah; buah-buahnya seakan sebesar kura-kura agung. Dan rimba itu sentiasa diziarahi serta dipelihara oleh lapan makhluk yang berasal daripada keturunan ilahi.

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Word by Word

• फलितम्: fruit-bearing
• Type: Adjective
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (वनम्) विशेषण
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: फलित (कृदन्त, फल्/फल)

• तत्: that
• Type: Adjective
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (वनम्) विशेषण
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वनम्: forest
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)

• भाति: shines/appears
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: भा (धातु)

• महाकूर्म-उपमैः: comparable to great tortoises
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; (फलैः) विशेषण; ‘mahākūrma-similar’
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: महाकूर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)

• फलैः: with fruits
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)

• तत्: that
• Type: Adjective
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (वनम्) विशेषण
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वनम्: forest
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)

• देव-योन्यः: divine beings / divine-born (classes)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां योनयः)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)

• अष्टौ: eight
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (संख्यावाचक)
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)

• सेवन्ते: resort to / inhabit
• Type: Verb
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: सेव् (धातु)

• सर्वदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (always)
• Role: Kāla (काल)
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)

• एव: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (indeed/just)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: एव (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• तद्वनम् = तत् वनम्
• महाकूर्मोपमैः = महाकूर्म-उपमैः
• देवयोन्योऽष्टौ = देवयोन्यः अष्टौ

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Forest

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Path

Sacred Ecology

Subjects

Sacred GeographyEcologyMythic Natural DescriptionCultural Heritage

Core idea

Prosperous nature is a sign of dharmic order and divine presence; sacred landscapes are sustained by reciprocal ‘sevana’ (care/attendance).

In practice

Treat groves and fruiting trees as sacred commons—protect, do not waste, and approach with restraint and reverence.

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Ancient Ecology
• Sacred Landscapes

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies a common Purāṇic literary mode in which landscapes are catalogued through signs of abundance (fruit, radiance) and association with non-human/divine beings, supporting the text’s broader cultural mapping of sacred environments.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit toponym appears in this fragment; it refers generically to “that forest” (tad vanam). Scholarly identification would depend on adjacent verses in Adhyāya 80 that may supply a place-name or pilgrimage context.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Implicitly, the verse frames the forest as a valued heritage ecology—an abundant, frequented environment—supporting a preservation-oriented reading consistent with Purāṇic respect for sacred natural spaces.