Varaha Purana 7.45: Adhyaya 7, Shloka 45

The Sanctity of Gayā: Raibhya’s Encounter and Hymn to Viṣṇu

Gadādhara

Pūrva Bhāga · Tīrtha-māhātmya (Gayā) and Stotra-vidhi

Devanagari script

एतच्च रैभ्यनिर्दिष्टं स्तोत्रं विष्णोर्गदाभृतः । यः पठेत् स गयां गत्वा पिण्डदानाद् विशिष्यते ॥ ७.४५ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 7.45

Transliteration

etac ca raibhya-nirdiṣṭaṁ stotraṁ viṣṇor gadā-bhṛtaḥ | yaḥ paṭhet sa gayāṁ gatvā piṇḍa-dānād viśiṣyate || 7.45 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

นี่คือบทสรรเสริญที่ไรภยะสอนไว้ แด่พระวิษณุผู้ทรงคทา ผู้ใดสวดบทนี้ ย่อมได้บุญยิ่งกว่าการไปยังคยาแล้วถวายปิณฑทาน

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Word by Word

• एतत्: this (hymn)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd—प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चय-अव्यय)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• रैभ्य-निर्दिष्टम्: indicated by Raibhya
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; past passive participle used adjectivally; tatpuruṣa: ‘by Raibhya indicated’
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Root: रैभ्य (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्दिष्ट (कृदन्त; नि√दिश् (धातु) + क्त)

• स्तोत्रम्: hymn
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: स्तोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)

• गदा-भृतः: of the mace-bearer
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘mace-bearer’ (one who bears a mace)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत् (प्रातिपदिक)

• यः: who (whoever)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st), Singular; relative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• पठेत्: should recite
• Type: Verb
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: √पठ् (धातु)

• सः: he
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st), Singular; demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• गयाम्: to Gayā
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; place-name
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)

• गत्वा: having gone
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), ‘having gone’
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया—पूर्वकालनिर्देश)
• Root: √गम् (धातु)

• पिण्ड-दानात्: than piṇḍa-offering
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘piṇḍa-offering’
• Role: Apadana (अपादान)
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)

• विशिष्यते: is distinguished/excels
• Type: Verb
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Root: वि√शिष् (धातु)

Sandhi Notes

• एतच्च → एतत् + च
• रैभ्यनिर्दिष्टम् → रैभ्य-निर्दिष्टम्
• विष्णोर्गदाभृतः → विष्णोः + गदा-भृतः
• पिण्डदानाद् → पिण्ड-दानात् (final -t before voiced consonant becomes -d in sandhi)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Bhakti rasaSetting: Tirtha (pitr-tirtha)

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Path

Name And Stotra Mahatmya

Subjects

Heritage SitesEthicsSacred GeographyRitual Studies

The Varaha avatara

Aspect

Dialogue

Dharma

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography
• Ritual Hermeneutics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic strategy of linking devotional recitation (stotra-paṭhana) with established pilgrimage and ancestral-rite landscapes, especially Gayā, a major locus in South Asian ritual history for śrāddha and piṇḍa offerings.

Which geographic location is identified?

Gayā is named explicitly (Gayām). In historical geography it corresponds to the Gayā region in present-day Bihar, India, long documented as a śrāddha/ancestral-rite pilgrimage center.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse prioritizes disciplined recitation and remembrance (a form of cultivated attention and speech-ethics) alongside pilgrimage practice, presenting a comparative framework of merit without prescribing coercive obligation.