Varaha Purana 196.22: Adhyaya 196, Shloka 22

Description of the City of Dharmarāja

Yama

Devanagari script

वैवस्वती नाम महानदी सा शुभा नदीनां प्रवरा अतिरम्या ॥ प्रयाति मध्ये नगरस्य नित्यं मातेव पुत्रं परिपालयन्ती

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 196.22

Transliteration

vaivasvatī nāma mahānadī sā śubhā nadīnāṃ pravarā atiramyā | prayāti madhye nagarasya nityaṃ māteva putraṃ paripālayantī ||

Translation

มหานทีนั้นมีนามว่า “ไววัสวตี” เป็นมงคล เป็นเลิศในหมู่สายน้ำ และงดงามยิ่งนัก นางไหลผ่านกลางนครอยู่เสมอ คุ้มครองดุจมารดาปกป้องบุตร

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• vaivasvatī: Vaivasvatī
• vaivasvatī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaivasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; proper name

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Nāmadhāraṇa (नामनिर्देश/Name-indicator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Indeclinable used as नाम-शब्दः (quotative/‘by name’)

• mahā-nadī: great river
• mahā-nadī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महती नदी)

• sā: she/that
• sā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• śubhā: auspicious/beautiful
• śubhā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; विशेषणम्

• nadīnām: of rivers
• nadīnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• pravarā: the foremost
• pravarā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pravara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; superlative sense ‘best’

• ati-ramyā: very delightful
• ati-ramyā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ati as intensifier (उपसर्गवत्/अव्यय)

• prayāti: goes/flows
• prayāti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yā (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

• madhye: in the middle
• madhye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; adverbial locative

• nagarasya: of the city
• nagarasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial accusative used as avyaya (नित्यं = always)

• mātā-iva: like a mother
• mātā-iva: Upamāna (उपमान/Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + iva (अव्यय)
• Form: mātā: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; iva: indeclinable particle of comparison (उपमा-वाचक)

• putram: a son
• putram: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• paripālayantī: protecting/caring for
• paripālayantī: Karta (कर्ता/Agent as participial predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-pāl (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ/कृदन्त), Feminine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with sā (river)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇa
• Ancient Geography
• River Personification

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic sacred geography by naming a river and assigning it protective civic function, a motif relevant to historical urban-water relationships.

Which geographic location is identified?

The river is named Vaivasvatī and is said to flow through the middle of a city; the city’s identity is not specified in this excerpt.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The maternal metaphor encourages a stewardship ethic: the river is depicted as a life-protecting presence, implying reciprocal care by inhabitants.