Varaha Purana 196.3 — Adhyaya 196, Shloka 3

Description of the City of Dharmarāja

Yama

Devanagari script

द्विगुणं परिवेषेण तद्वै प्रेतपतेः पुरम् ॥ भवनैरावृतं दिव्यैर्याम्बूनदमयैः शुभैः ॥

Transliteration

dviguṇaṁ pariveṣeṇa tadvai pretapateḥ puram || bhavanair āvṛtaṁ divyair jāmbūnadamayaiḥ śubhaiḥ

Translation

இரட்டிப்பான சுற்றுவேலியால் சூழப்பட்டதே பிரேதபதியின் நகரம்; அது மங்களமான, தெய்வீகமான ஜாம்பூநதத் தங்கத்தால் ஆன மாளிகைகளால் சூழப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Word by Word

• dvi-guṇam: double (in measure)
• dvi-guṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of puram)

• pariveṣeṇa: by/with circumference; in perimeter
• pariveṣeṇa: Karaṇa (करण/परिमाण-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pariveṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; परिमाण-निर्देशक (in circumference/extent)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (कर्ता/निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संकेतार्थ (that)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (particle: 'indeed')

• preta-pateḥ: of the lord of the departed (Yama)
• preta-pateḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• puram: city
• puram: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhavanaiḥ: with mansions/buildings
• bhavanaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• āvṛtam: surrounded; covered
• āvṛtam: Kriyā (क्रियापद-विशेषण; predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√vṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि भावः (covered/surrounded)

• divyaiḥ: divine
• divyaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of bhavanaiḥ)

• jāmbūnada-mayaiḥ: made of Jāmbūnada gold
• jāmbūnada-mayaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāmbūnada (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of bhavanaiḥ): ‘made of Jāmbūnada-gold’

• śubhaiḥ: auspicious; splendid
• śubhaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of bhavanaiḥ)

Speaker

Nāciketa (continuation of description)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"moral-cosmic governance","core_concept":"The realm of the departed is not merely fearful; it is a ‘divine’ domain reflecting the authority and inevitability of karmic law.","practical_application":"Let the grandeur and inevitability of Yama’s jurisdiction motivate ethical restraint and truthful living."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Mythic architecture","Afterlife geography"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: mythic fortified city / afterlife capital

Cross References

Related Themes: Continuation of the same architectural-cosmographic description (196.2–196.6)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast city of Yama encircled by a double-measured enclosure, ringed with auspicious divine mansions gleaming with jāmbūnada-gold.","item_prompts":["concentric enclosures/walls","rows of golden mansions","radiant jāmbūnada-gold sheen","processional avenues","distant throne-hall suggestion"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized golden architecture with rhythmic repetition; double enclosure shown as two ornate bands; warm reds/ochres with gold highlights; minimal perspective, iconic symmetry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: heavy gold-leaf for mansions and enclosure; embossed patterns on walls; central axis leading to a distant sabhā.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate architectural detailing, soft gold tones; layered courtyards; luminous but restrained palette.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: crisp outlines, jewel-like colors; city shown as terraced rectangles with golden roofs; atmospheric distance to suggest vastness."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic-solemn","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"resonant, weighty on ‘preta-pateḥ puram’ and ‘jāmbūnada’"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmography
• Material Culture (literary)
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents a conventional Purāṇic aesthetic vocabulary—golden architecture and encircling enclosures—used to convey grandeur and authority in otherworldly realms.

Which geographic location is identified?

The city of Pretapati (Yama) is described as an otherworldly domain; it is not a terrestrial geographic site.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

By depicting the ordered realm of the ‘lord of the departed,’ the text frames a moral universe where actions are evaluated within an overarching cosmic order.