Varaha Purana 144.64: Adhyaya 144, Shloka 64

The Māhātmya of Someśvara and Related Liṅgas: The Liberation-Field of Triveṇī and the Śālagrāma Sacred Landscape

Devanagari script

रावणेन प्रकटिता जलधारा अतिपुण्यदा॥ बाणगङ्गेति विख्याता या स्नाता चाघहारिणी॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 144.64

Transliteration

rāvaṇena prakaṭitā jaladhārā atipuṇyadā || bāṇagaṅgeti vikhyātā yā snātā cāghahāriṇī ||

Translation

రావణుడు ప్రकटింపజేసిన ఈ జలధార అత్యంత పుణ్యప్రదం. ఇది ‘బాణగంగా’ అని ప్రసిద్ధి; ఇందులో స్నానం చేస్తే పాపహరణం జరుగుతుంది.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• rāvaṇena: by Rāvaṇa
• rāvaṇena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• prakaṭitā: manifested; brought forth
• prakaṭitā: Kriya (क्रियाविशेषण/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√kaṭ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• jaladhārā: stream of water
• jaladhārā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala-dhārā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘jalasya dhārā’; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ati-puṇya-dā: bestowing great merit
• ati-puṇya-dā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) with intensifier: ‘atiśayena puṇyaṁ dadāti’; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bāṇa-gaṅgā: Bāṇa-Gaṅgā (name of the stream)
• bāṇa-gaṅgā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) proper name; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• iti: thus; called
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात) marking name/quotation

• vikhyātā: well-known; famed
• vikhyātā: Kriya (क्रियाविशेषण/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi√khyā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• yā: which; she that
• yā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• snātā: (in which one has) bathed
• snātā: Kriya (क्रियाविशेषण/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त) used adjectivally ‘bathed (in)’; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय-निपात) ‘and’

• agha-hāriṇī: remover of sin
• agha-hāriṇī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agha (प्रातिपदिक) + hāriṇī (√hṛ धातु, णिनि-प्रत्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘aghaṁ harati’; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sūta (narrative voice) (defaulted; verse is descriptive and etiological)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Ancient Geography
• Pilgrimage Studies
• Hydro-Heritage

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves an etiological account (origin-story) for a named water source, valuable for correlating Purāṇic hydrology with regional pilgrimage landscapes.

Which geographic location is identified?

Bāṇa-Gaṅgā is named; its precise modern identification varies by region and later tradition, and requires local-textual correlation beyond this excerpt.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse promotes purification through regulated engagement with a water source, framing water as a locus of cultural heritage and moral reflection.