Varaha Purana 145.94: Adhyaya 145, Shloka 94

The Greatness of the Śālagrāma Sacred Region

Devanagari script

अहमस्मिन्महाक्षेत्रे धरे पूर्वमुखः स्थितः ॥ शालग्रामे महाक्षेत्रे भूमे भागवतप्रियः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 145.94

Transliteration

aham asmin mahākṣetre dhare pūrva-mukhaḥ sthitaḥ | śālagrāme mahākṣetre bhūme bhāgavata-priyaḥ ||

Translation

โอ้พระแม่ธรณี ในมหาเขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์นี้ เราตั้งอยู่หันหน้าไปทางทิศตะวันออก โอ้พระแม่ธรณี ในมหาเขตแห่งศาลครามะนี้ เราเป็นที่รักยิ่งของเหล่าภักตะตามคัมภีร์ภาควตะ

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• mahā-kṣetre: in the great sacred field
• mahā-kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय-समास (“great sacred field”)

• dhare: O Earth
• dhare: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• pūrva-mukhaḥ: facing east
• pūrva-mukhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समास (directional: “east-facing”)

• sthitaḥ: standing; situated
• sthitaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past Active Participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• śāla-grāme: in Śālagrāma
• śāla-grāme: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāla (प्रातिपदिक) + grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समास (place-name: “Śālagrāma”)

• mahā-kṣetre: in the great sacred field
• mahā-kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय-समास

• bhūme: O Earth
• bhūme: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhāgavata-priyaḥ: beloved of the devotees; dear to bhāgavatas
• bhāgavata-priyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāgavata (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समास (genitive sense: “dear to devotees of Bhagavān”)

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sacred Geography
• Śālagrāma Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents Śālagrāma as a major Vaiṣṇava heritage landscape, contributing to the textual history of pilgrimage and icon veneration associated with the Gaṇḍakī basin.

Which geographic location is identified?

Śālagrāma (commonly associated with the Gaṇḍakī river region in present-day Nepal/Indo-Nepal Himalayan foothills) is explicitly named.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It frames the site as a locus for disciplined devotion and culturally sanctioned remembrance, emphasizing continuity of practice rather than coercion.