Varaha Purana 84.2: Adhyaya 84, Shloka 2
Description of the Northern Regions: Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya, Uttarakuru, Candradvīpa, Sūryadvīpa, and Rudrākara
Pūrva Bhāga · Sacred Geography and Regional Peoples (Directional Lokas)
दक्षिणेन तु श्वेतस्य नीलस्य चोत्तरेण च । वायव्यां रम्यकं नाम जायन्ते तत्र मानवाः । मतिप्रधानाः विमला जरादौर्गन्ध्यवर्जिताः ॥ ८४.२ ॥
dakṣiṇena tu śvetasya nīlasya cottareṇa ca | vāyavyāṃ ramyakaṃ nāma jāyante tatra mānavāḥ | matipradhānā vimalā jarādaurgandhyavarjitāḥ || 84.2 ||
dakShiNena tu shvetasya nIlasya chottareNa cha | vAyavyAM ramyakaM nAma jAyante tatra mAnavAH | matipradhAnA vimalA jarAdaurgandhyavarjitAH || 84.2 ||
ச்வேத மலைக்குத் தெற்கிலும் நீல மலைக்குத் வடக்கிலும், வாயவ்ய திசையில் ‘ரம்யக’ எனும் நாடு உள்ளது. அங்கே மனிதர் பிறக்கின்றனர்—அறிவில் முதன்மை உடையோர், தூயோர், முதுமையும் துர்நாற்றமும் அற்றோர்.
Sandhi Notes
- चोत्तरेण → च + उत्तरेण
- जरादौर्गन्ध्यवर्जिताः → जरा + दौर्गन्ध्य + वर्जिताः (internal sandhi: ā + d → ād)
Varāha
Curious (implied listener in cosmographic instruction)
Guṇa-like moral/psychophysical refinement is mirrored in the qualities of lands and births; purity and clarity (vimala, matipradhāna) are presented as naturalized traits in certain cosmic regions.
Use the description as a contrastive mirror: cultivate śauca, sattva, and clarity of buddhi through disciplined living rather than relying on ‘place-based’ perfection.
Varāha Purāṇa 84.84 (adjacent varṣa-descriptions: Śveta, Nīla, Triśṛṅga; longevity/food motifs in 84.84.3–6)
FAQs
It exemplifies Purāṇic sacred geography, using directional orientation and named regions to describe human populations and idealized conditions, a common method for encoding cosmological and cultural maps in early Sanskrit literature.
A region named Ramyaka, situated (in the text’s cosmographic scheme) south of Śveta and north of Nīla, in the northwestern quarter. Modern identification is uncertain and typically treated by scholars as part of Purāṇic cosmology rather than a directly mappable terrestrial site.
Rather than a direct injunction, the verse presents an idealized anthropological portrait—valuing intellectual excellence and purity—within a cosmographic description, reflecting a philosophical preference for cultivated mind (mati) and bodily/ethical cleanliness.
Ask anything about this verse
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.
