Varaha Purana 160.79: Adhyaya 160, Shloka 79
The Prescribed Emergence and Procedure of the Mathurā Circumambulation
Parikramā
ख्यातिं गतानि सर्वाणि सर्वपापहराणि च ॥ वत्सपुत्रं ततो गच्छेत् सर्वपापहरं परम् ॥ अर्कस्थलं वीरस्थलं कुशस्थलमनन्तरम्
khyātiṁ gatāni sarvāṇi sarvapāpaharāṇi ca || vatsaputraṁ tato gacchet sarvapāpaharaṁ param || arkasthalaṁ vīrasthalaṁ kuśasthalam anantaram
ఇవన్నీ ప్రసిద్ధమై, సమస్త పాపాలను హరించేవిగా ఉన్నాయి. అనంతరం పరమ పాపహరమైన ‘వత్సపుత్ర’కు వెళ్లాలి; తరువాత ‘అర్కస్థల’, ‘వీరస్థల’ మరియు ఆపై ‘కుశస్థల’।
Varāha (default dialogue frame)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Vatsaputra-tīrtha; Arkasthala; Vīrasthala; Kuśasthala (tīrtha-sthalas in Mathurā-maṇḍala)","parikrama_context":"Functions as a sequential tīrtha-list for yātrā/parikramā through sin-destroying stations; implied order of visitation (tato…anantaram).","krishna_connection":"Implicit Vaiṣṇava framing of Mathurā-maṇḍala; no direct Kṛṣṇa act stated in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tīrtha-śraddhā / sādhanā by yātrā","core_concept":"Puṇya accrues through śraddhā-filled visitation of renowned sacred places; sacred geography is a moral technology for pāpa-kṣaya.","practical_application":"Undertake the prescribed sequence of visits with reverence (darśana and mindful travel), treating each stop as a deliberate act of inner cleansing."}
Subject Matter: ["Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tīrtha-sthala / kṣetra-waypoints
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa, Mathurā-māhātmya (same adhyāya/section listing tīrthas sequentially)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as narrator indicating a pilgrimage map: a devotee-traveler moving from one named tīrtha to the next, with sign-like markers of Arkasthala, Vīrasthala, Kuśasthala, and Vatsaputra.","item_prompts":["pilgrim with staff and waterpot (kamaṇḍalu)","stone/wooden tīrtha markers with toponyms","riverbank/ghāṭa silhouettes","Mathurā landscape cues (kadamba trees, sandy Yamunā banks)","subtle presence of Varāha as divine guide (aura/halo)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Varāha in regal stance as upadeśaka, warm earthy palette, stylized trees and ghāṭas, pilgrims in profile, toponym panels as decorative cartouches.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Varāha with gold halo and ornate jewelry, miniature vignettes around him labeled Vatsaputra/Arkasthala/Vīrasthala/Kuśasthala, rich gold-leaf borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading; Varāha gesturing toward a scroll-map of tīrthas; serene pilgrims and understated sacred landscape.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical riverine landscape with rolling banks; small pilgrim figures moving in sequence; Varāha as a cloud-like divine presence pointing the route."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent, itinerary-like proclamation","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, instructive, steady"}
FAQs
It exemplifies Purāṇic cataloguing of tīrthas, a genre that helped preserve older toponyms and pilgrimage circuits within South Asian cultural memory.
Vatsaputra, Arkasthala, Vīrasthala, and Kuśasthala are named as tīrtha-sites; precise modern identifications require regional manuscript comparison and historical gazetteer work.
The verse promotes disciplined pilgrimage as a culturally sanctioned practice for moral self-correction (framed as removal of pāpa).
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.