Varaha Purana 78.9: Adhyaya 78, Shloka 9
Names of the Four Directional Mountain-Kings and Their Lakes
Rudra’s Geographical Description
अरुणोदं तु पूर्वेण दक्षिणे मानसṃ स्मृतम् । असितोदं पश्चिमे च महाभद्रं तथोत्तरे । कुमुदैः श्वेतकपिलैः कहलारैर्भूषितानि च ॥ ७८.९ ॥
aruṇodaṃ tu pūrveṇa dakṣiṇe mānasaṃ smṛtam | asitodaṃ paścime ca mahābhadraṃ tathottare | kumudaiḥ śvetakapilaiḥ kahlārair bhūṣitāni ca || 78.9 ||
ทิศตะวันออกคือ อรุโณท; ทิศใต้ระลึกนามว่า มานสะ; ทิศตะวันตกคือ อสิโทท และทิศเหนือคือ มหาภัทร. ทั้งหมดประดับด้วยดอกกุมุทะสีขาวและสีเหลืองอ่อน พร้อมทั้งดอกกหลาระด้วย
Varāha (default dialogue framework)
FAQs
It preserves a traditional, direction-based catalog of named waterbodies, reflecting Purāṇic methods of describing sacred landscapes through spatial orientation and toponymy.
The verse lists four named lakes—Aruṇoda (east), Mānas(a) (south), Asitoda (west), and Mahābhadra (north). In scholarship, “Mānasa” is often discussed in relation to the broader Mānasarovara/Lake Mānas tradition, though this excerpt alone does not provide enough detail for a definitive modern identification of all four.
Rather than a direct moral injunction, the verse conveys a cultural-ecological valuation of waterbodies—depicting them as ornamented by aquatic flora—supporting a broader Purāṇic emphasis on reverence for landscapes and careful attention to natural features.
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