Varaha Purana 161.5: Adhyaya 161, Shloka 5
The Efficacy of the Sacred Forests: The Merit of Pilgrimage to Mathurā’s Twelve Groves
Uttara Bhāga · Mathurā Māhātmya (Merit and Afterlife Consequences)
एषां मध्ये कृतं यैश्च एकं च शतमोजसा ॥ न ते नरकभोक्तारः स्वर्गभाजो भवन्ति ते ॥
eṣāṃ madhye kṛtaṃ yaiś ca ekaṃ ca śatam ojasā || na te narakabhoktāraḥ svargabhājo bhavanti te ||
eShAM madhye kRRitaM yaishcha ekaM cha shatamojasA || na te naraka bhoktAraH svargabhAjo bhavanti te
และในหมู่คนเหล่านั้น ผู้ใดประกอบการปฏิบัตินี้ด้วยกำลังใจมั่นคง—ครั้งเดียวหรือร้อยครั้ง—ย่อมไม่เป็นผู้เสวยนรก; เขาย่อมเป็นผู้มีส่วนในสวรรค์
Sandhi Notes
- यैश्च → यैः च
- शतमोजसा → शतम् ओजसा
- अन्यत्र पदच्छेदः यथालिखितम्।
Varāha
Reassured, seeking certainty about karmic outcomes
What is the afterlife/karmic result for those who perform this Mathurā-related observance even once, or repeatedly?
Puṇya generated by sincere observance in a sacred field can decisively redirect post-mortem destiny.
Undertake Mathurā-sevā/visit with ‘ojas’ (earnest energy), and repeat when possible; treat pilgrimage as disciplined sādhanā, not tourism.
Varāha assures Bhūmi of the salvific fruit for those performing the stated observance connected to Mathurā/tīrtha/forest contact.
Performing the prescribed Mathurā-related observance with vigor—once or many times—prevents naraka-experience and grants svarga.
Following: svarga-bhāg (heavenly attainment) and non-experience of naraka; implied: neglect forfeits this protective merit.
Naraka-abhāva (freedom from hell) and svarga-prāpti (heavenly enjoyment).
Indirect: the promise of svarga/avoidance of naraka for Mathurā-sevā aligns with later Vaiṣṇava valuation of Vraja/Mathurā as supremely salvific.
Varāha Purāṇa Mathurā-māhātmya: verses defining eligible acts (residence, tīrtha-sevā, vana-darśana, krama) and listing vanas
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic merit calculus linking repeated observance and place-based practice to post-mortem outcomes.
Implicitly Mathurā and its sacred circuit referenced in the surrounding verses.
Sustained, intentional practice (with ojas) is presented as ethically efficacious, emphasizing disciplined engagement rather than mere affiliation.
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