Varaha Purana 69.34: Adhyaya 69, Shloka 34
Agastya’s Vision of Varuṇa as Nārāyaṇa in Ilāvṛta
कथमिलावृते वर्षे सरस्तीरे महामुने । दृष्टवानस्मि सोऽहं त्वं सरस्तत् सा कुटी मुने । हेमहार्म्याकुले लोके किं वा स्थानं तु ते कुटिः ॥ ६९.३४ ॥
katham ilāvṛte varṣe saras-tīre mahāmune | dṛṣṭavān asmi so 'haṃ tvaṃ saras-tat sā kuṭī mune | hema-hārmyākule loke kiṃ vā sthānaṃ tu te kuṭiḥ || 69.34 ||
ข้าแต่มหามุนี ในอิลาวฤต-วรรษ ณ ริมสระ ข้าพเจ้าเห็นท่านได้อย่างไร—และที่นั่นมีทั้งสระนั้นและกระท่อมนั้นด้วย โอฤๅษี? ในโลกที่แน่นขนัดด้วยปราสาททอง กระท่อมของท่านมีที่ตั้งหรือฐานะเช่นไร
Pṛthivī (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic narrative contrast between ascetic habitation (kuṭī) and elite architecture (hema-hārmya), a common literary device used to frame discussions of values, renunciation, and the social landscape of sacred places.
Ilāvṛta-varṣa is named; in Purāṇic cosmography it denotes a central, mythic region associated with Jambūdvīpa rather than a securely identified modern geographic location.
The verse sets up an inquiry into the worth and status of simple dwelling amid opulence, preparing a philosophical discussion on non-material values, humility, and the cultural role of sages within sacred landscapes.
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