Varaha Purana 196.7: Adhyaya 196, Shloka 7

Description of the City of Dharmarāja

Yama

Uttara Bhāga · Sacred Geography and Afterlife Realms (Narrative Description)

Devanagari script

नरनारीसमाकीर्णा गजवाजिसमाकुलाः ॥ नानादेशसमुत्थानैर्नानाजातिभिरेव च

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 196.7

Transliteration

nara-nārī-samākīrṇā gaja-vāji-samākulāḥ || nānā-deśa-samutthānair nānā-jātibhir eva ca

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

นครนั้นแน่นขนัดด้วยชายหญิง อึงคะนึงด้วยช้างและม้า และมีผู้คนจากนานาแคว้น นานาชุมชนอาศัยอยู่

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Word by Word

• nara-nārī-samākīrṇāḥ: filled with men and women
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (past passive participle) 'समाकीर्ण'; तत्पुरुष (instrumental/associative sense): 'नरनारीभिः समाकीर्णाः'
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + nārī (प्रातिपदिक) + samākīrṇa (कृदन्त; सम्+आ+√kṝ/कॄ 'to scatter, strew' → past participle)

• gaja-vāji-samākulāḥ: crowded with elephants and horses
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुष (instrumental/associative sense): 'गजवाजिभिः समाकुलाः'
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक) + vāji (प्रातिपदिक) + samākula (प्रातिपदिक)

• nānā-deśa-samutthānaiḥ: by/with origins from many regions
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुष: 'नानादेशेभ्यः समुत्थानानि' (origins from various countries)
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + deśa (प्रातिपदिक) + samutthāna (प्रातिपदिक)

• nānā-jātibhiḥ: with many kinds/castes
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुष: 'नानाजातयः'
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + jāti (प्रातिपदिक)

• eva: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: eva (अव्यय)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• nara-nārī-samākīrṇā (pāṭha shows fem. ending; normalized to masc. pl. samākīrṇāḥ to agree with implied subject)
• nānā-deśa-samutthānaiḥ (IAST: samutthānair) = samutthānaiḥ
• nānā-jātibhiḥ (IAST: jātibhir) = jātibhiḥ

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: City/urban center

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Descriptive-ethical frame

Subjects

GeographySocietyHeritage Sites

Core idea

Worldly prosperity and social plurality are part of saṃsāric display, not in themselves indicators of dharma.

In practice

Do not equate urban splendor or demographic diversity with spiritual merit; assess conduct and karma.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography
• Cultural History

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse reflects a literary ideal of a prosperous center characterized by mobility, animals of status (elephants/horses), and multi-regional presence.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit place-name appears; the description is typological rather than geographically fixed.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The passage primarily describes social plenitude and cosmopolitan presence without issuing a direct ethical injunction.