Varaha Purana 6.40: Adhyaya 6, Shloka 40

The Puṇḍarīkākṣapāraka Hymn and Puṣkara Tīrtha: The Account of King Vasu’s Release from Sin

Devanagari script

यश्चैतत् पुण्डरीकाक्षपारगं शृणुयात् परम् । तस्य पुष्करयात्रायां विधिस्नानफलं भवेत् ॥ ६.४० ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 6.40

Transliteration

yaś caitat puṇḍarīkākṣa-pāragaṃ śṛṇuyāt param | tasya puṣkara-yātrāyāṃ vidhi-snāna-phalaṃ bhavet || 6.40 ||

Translation

यः कश्चित् एतत् पुण्डरीकाक्षसम्बन्धि परमाख्यानं श्रद्धया शृणुयात्, तस्य पुष्करयात्रायां विधिस्नानफलं भवेत्।

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Word by Word

• yaḥ: whoever
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (समुच्चय-अव्यय), conjunction

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• puṇḍarīkākṣa-pāragam: (this hymn) that leads to Puṇḍarīkākṣa
• puṇḍarīkākṣa-pāragam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇḍarīkākṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + pāraga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); etat-viśeṣaṇa (refers to stotra)

• śṛṇuyāt: should hear
• śṛṇuyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/Optative), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• param: supremely/excellently
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adverbial/qualifying sense

• tasya: for him/of him
• tasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• puṣkara-yātrāyām: in the Puṣkara pilgrimage
• puṣkara-yātrāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक) + yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• vidhi-snāna-phalam: the fruit of prescribed ritual bathing
• vidhi-snāna-phalam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound (multi-member); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhavet: would be/should be
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/Optative), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sacred Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic strategy of sacralizing pilgrimage landscapes (tīrthas) by correlating physical rites (ritual bathing) with textual practices (listening/recitation), indicating how manuscript culture and travel-based devotion coexisted in early medieval religious life.

Which geographic location is identified?

Puṣkara, a prominent tīrtha traditionally associated with the Puṣkara lake region near modern Ajmer in Rajasthan (India), widely discussed in Sanskrit pilgrimage literature.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse promotes attentive listening and engagement with authoritative teachings as a culturally valued practice, presenting it as ethically and socially meaningful—comparable in merit to performing a prescribed ritual act during a pilgrimage.