Varaha Purana 151.3: Adhyaya 151, Shloka 3

The Sacred Greatness of Lohārgala

The ‘Iron-Bolt’ Tīrtha

Uttara Bhāga · Lohārgala-Māhātmya (Request for Further Sacred Geography)

Devanagari script

अपरं वा॒स्ति चेत्किञ्चिद्गुह्यं क्षेत्रं शुभावहम् ॥ सानन्दूरात्परं गुह्यं क्षेत्रमस्ति न वा परम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 151.3

Transliteration

aparaṁ vā'sti cet kiñcid guhyam kṣetraṁ śubhāvaham || sānandūrāt paraṁ guhyaṁ kṣetram asti na vā param ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ఇంకా ఏదైనా గూఢమైన, శుభఫలప్రదమైన క్షేత్రం ఉంటే చెప్పండి—సానందూరకన్నా మరింత గూఢమైన క్షేత్రం ఉందా, లేక దాని పైన మరొకటి లేదా?

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Word by Word

• aparam: something else
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana (context: ‘anything else’)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)

• vā: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Vikalpa-nipāta (विकल्प-निपात) ‘or’
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: vā (अव्यय)

• asti: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: as (धातु)

• cet: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Śarthe avyaya (शर्ते अव्यय) conditional particle
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: cet (अव्यय)

• kiñcit: anything
• Type: Noun
• Form: Indefinite pronoun, Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: kiṃcid (प्रातिपदिक)

• guhyam: secret
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; qualifies kṣetram
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)

• kṣetram: holy place/field
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)

• śubha-āvaham: bringing auspiciousness
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Upapada-tatpuruṣa: ‘śubham āvahati iti’; Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; qualifies kṣetram
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: śubha + āvaha (प्रातिपदिक)

• sānandūrāt: than/from Sānandūra
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Pañcamī (5/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; ablative of comparison/source
• Role: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Root: sānandūra (प्रातिपदिक)

• param: greater/other
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; comparative ‘higher/other’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)

• guhyam: secret
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; qualifies kṣetram
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)

• kṣetram: a holy place
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana (subject of asti)
• Role: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)

• asti: exists
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: as (धातु)

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Niṣedha-nipāta (निषेध-निपात) negation
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: na (अव्यय)

• vā: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Vikalpa-nipāta (विकल्प-निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: vā (अव्यय)

• param: anything else/superior
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; ‘anything higher/other’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• vā+asti → vā'sti
• kiñcit+guhyam → kiñcid guhyam (t→d before g)
• kṣetram+asti → kṣetram asti (sandhi boundary resolved)
• sānandūrāt+param → sānandūrāt param

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta rasaSetting: Kṣetra/tīrtha (sacred region)

Speaker

Pṛthivī (Dharā/Vasundharā)

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She asks

Her state of mind

Curious, eager for deeper sacred-geographic knowledge

What she asks

Is there any other ‘guhya’ and auspicious kṣetra beyond Sānandūra, or is Sānandūra the supreme secret kṣetra?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Hermeneutics of sacred space

Subjects

GeographyHeritage SitesEthics

Core idea

‘guhyatva’ (esoteric sanctity) is disclosed through authorized teaching and right inquiry.

In practice

Ask discriminating questions about practice and place; seek guidance before undertaking pilgrimages or adopting localized rites.

The Varaha avatara

Aspect

Dialogue

With the Earth

Bhūdevī questions Varāha/Viṣṇu to elicit further revelation about the hierarchy of secret auspicious kṣetras.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Sacred Geography
• Purāṇic Studies
• Sanskrit Semantics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It shows the Purāṇic technique of chaining māhātmyas through comparative questions, expanding a catalog of sites via dialogic prompts.

Which geographic location is identified?

Sānandūra is explicitly named as a reference point; the anticipated next location (contextually Lohārgala) is implied by the chapter heading.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse promotes discernment and inquiry about cultural-heritage places rather than unreflective acceptance.