Varaha Purana 75.35 — Adhyaya 75, Shloka 35
Description of Jambūdvīpa: its regions, mountains, measurements, and cosmic structure
वेद्यर्धे दक्षिणे त्रीणि वर्षाणि त्रीणि चोत्तरे । तयोर्मध्ये तु विज्ञेयो यत्र मेरुस्त्विलावृतः ॥ ७५.३५ ॥
vedyārdhe dakṣiṇe trīṇi varṣāṇi trīṇi cottare | tayor madhye tu vijñeyo yatra merus tv ilāvṛtaḥ || 75.35 ||
ในครึ่งใต้ของเวทีมีวรรษะสาม และในครึ่งเหนือก็มีสาม ระหว่างทั้งสองนั้น พึงรู้ว่าเป็นแดนที่เขาพระเมรุตั้งอยู่ คืออิลาวฤต
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"reassured by clarity, contemplative","key_question":"How many varṣas belong to each half of the cosmic vedi, and what is the central region between them where Meru stands (Ilāvṛta)?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Tripartite balance: three varṣas south, three north, and a central axis-region (Ilāvṛta with Meru) evokes a mandala with a stabilizing center—analogous to yajña’s central fire/axis around which order is maintained.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Central Ilāvṛta as the ‘middle’ of the vedi; Meru as the axis/pillar; the two halves with three regions each like ordered ritual divisions around a center.","vedantic_connection":"The center (Meru/Ilāvṛta) symbolizes the unshaken inner Self/Viṣṇu as adhāra (support) amid differentiated realms; contemplation moves from peripheral multiplicity to central unity."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"centered cosmology / inner axis","core_concept":"Stability comes from a recognized center; the cosmos and the mind both require an axis (Meru/ātman) to remain ordered.","practical_application":"In practice, return attention to a ‘center’ (mantra, breath, dharma) when overwhelmed by multiplicity; cultivate steadiness (dhṛti)."}
Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: purāṇic cosmographic center-and-halves schema
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 75.75.31-34 (preceding placement and vedi-halves)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A balanced cosmic diagram: three southern regions, three northern regions, and the central Ilāvṛta with towering Meru; Varāha explains the symmetry to Bhu Devī.","item_prompts":["towering Meru at center (golden/bright)","central square/region labeled Ilāvṛta","three bands/regions below (south) and three above (north)","a central axis line","Varāha and Bhu Devī in discourse posture"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Strong central Meru with stylized flames/halo; symmetric bands north/south; decorative borders; Varāha as guru, Bhu Devī as attentive disciple.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-leaf Meru and central Ilāvṛta; embossed symmetric panels for the six varṣas; temple-icon framing with rich ornament.","mysore_prompt":"Classical symmetry, fine detailing on Meru and region bands; soft luminous center; composed expressions emphasizing serenity.","pahari_prompt":"Miniature with a tall central peak and stacked landscape registers; delicate labeling; figures seated in foreground with a painted cosmogram scroll."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative, balancing","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"calm, resonant"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic model of sacred geography, organizing the world into named regions (varṣas) around the axial mountain Meru; such passages are central for studying early Indian cosmographical imagination and its textual transmission.
Ilāvṛta is identified as the central region where Mount Meru is located; in scholarship it is generally treated as a mythic-cosmological space rather than a directly mappable modern location.
The verse primarily conveys cosmographical classification rather than a direct ethical injunction; its philosophical instruction lies in presenting an ordered, intelligible structure of the world as a framework for cultural memory and sacred topography.
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