Varaha Purana 80.9: Adhyaya 80, Shloka 9
Cosmographic Ordering of the Southern and Western Quarters: Valleys, Forest-Plateaus, and Sacred Sites
तत्र च भगवतो विष्णोः परमेश्वरस्यायतनम् । तथा च शुक्लपाण्डुरयोऽपि महागिर्योरन्तरे त्रिंशद्योजनविस्तीर्णो नवत्यायत एकः शिलोद्देशो वृक्षविवर्जितः । तत्र निष्पङ्का दीर्घिका सवृक्षा च स्थलपद्मिनी अनेकजातीयैश्च पद्मैः शोभिता । तस्याश्च मध्ये पञ्चयोजनप्रमाणो महान्यग्रोधवृक्षः । तस्मिंश्चन्द्रशेखरोमापतिर्नीलवासाश्च देवो निवसति यक्षादिभिरीड्यमानः । सहस्रशिखरस्य गिरेः कुमुदस्य चान्तरे पञ्चाशद्योजनायामं विंशद्योजनविस्तृतमिक्षुक्षेपोच्चशिखरमनेकपक्षिसेवितम् । अनेकवृक्षफलैर्मधुरस्त्रवैरुपशोभितम् । तत्र चेन्द्रस्य महानाश्रमो दिव्याभिप्रायनिर्मितः । तथा च शङ्खकूटऋषभयोर्मध्ये पुरुषस्थलीरम्या । अनेकगुणानेकयोजनायता बिल्वप्रमाणैः कङ्कोलकैः सुगन्धिभिरुपेता । तत्र पुरुषकरसोन्मत्ता नागाद्याः प्रतिवसन्ति ॥९॥
tatra ca bhagavato viṣṇoḥ parameśvarasyāyatanam | tathā ca śuklapāṇḍurayor api mahāgiryor antare triṁśad-yojana-vistīrṇo navaty-āyata ekaḥ śiloddeśo vṛkṣa-vivarjitaḥ | tatra niṣpaṅkā dīrghikā savṛkṣā ca sthalapadminī aneka-jātīyaiś ca padmaiḥ śobhitā | tasyāś ca madhye pañca-yojana-pramāṇo mahā-nyagrodha-vṛkṣaḥ | tasmiṁś candraśekhara-umāpatir nīlavāsāś ca devo nivasati yakṣādibhir īḍyamānaḥ | sahasraśikharasya gireḥ kumudasya cāntare pañcāśad-yojanāyāmaṁ viṁśad-yojana-vistṛtam ikṣukṣepa-uccaśikharam aneka-pakṣi-sevitam | aneka-vṛkṣa-phalair madhura-stravair upaśobhitam | tatra cendrasya mahān āśramo divyābhiprāya-nirmitaḥ | tathā ca śaṅkhakūṭa-ṛṣabhayor madhye puruṣasthalī ramyā | aneka-guṇāneka-yojanāyatā bilva-pramāṇaiḥ kaṅkolakaiḥ sugandhibhir upetā | tatra puruṣa-karasonmattā nāgādyāḥ prativasanti ||9||
Di sana juga terdapat ayatan bagi Bhagavān Viṣṇu, Tuhan Yang Maha Tinggi. Dan di antara gunung besar Śukla dan Pāṇḍura ada suatu kawasan batu, selebar tiga puluh yojana dan sepanjang sembilan puluh yojana, tanpa pepohon. Di situ ada takungan air yang panjang, jernih dan tanpa lumpur; dan ada pula kolam teratai di tanah yang teguh, dihiasi teratai pelbagai jenis. Di tengahnya berdiri sebatang pokok nyagrodha (beringin) yang besar, berukuran lima yojana. Di sana bersemayam dewa Candraśekhara, suami Umā, berpakaian biru, dipuji oleh Yakṣa dan yang lain. Di antara gunung Sahasraśikhara dan Kumuda terdapat wilayah berpuncak tinggi, panjang lima puluh yojana dan lebar dua puluh yojana, dikunjungi banyak burung, serta indah oleh banyak pokok, buah-buahan dan aliran sari yang manis. Di sana juga ada pertapaan agung Indra, dibina oleh niat ilahi. Dan di antara Śaṅkhakūṭa dan Ṛṣabha terletak tempat yang menawan bernama Puruṣasthalī, terbentang banyak yojana dan kaya keutamaan, dipenuhi pokok kaṅkola yang harum sebesar buah bilva. Di sana para Nāga dan lainnya tinggal, seakan mabuk oleh sentuhan Puruṣa (kehadiran suci).
Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in the fragment)
FAQs
It exemplifies a Purāṇic mode of mapping sacred space through measured landscapes (yojanas), named mountains, ponds, trees, and āśramas, preserving a layered cultural memory of pilgrimage topography and its associated mythic custodians.
The verse names multiple toponyms (Śukla, Pāṇḍura, Sahasraśikhara, Kumuda, Śaṅkhakūṭa, Ṛṣabha, and Puruṣasthalī). These are best treated as Purāṇic sacred-geographic markers; secure modern identifications are uncertain without corroborating regional tīrtha lists and manuscript parallels.
Rather than a direct injunction, the passage advances an implicit stewardship ethic: sacred landscapes are described through water bodies, tree ecologies, and inhabited zones, encouraging careful attention to environmental features (ponds, fruit-bearing trees, bird habitats) as part of cultural heritage.
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