Varaha Purana 144.175: Adhyaya 144, Shloka 175

The Māhātmya of Someśvara and Related Liṅgas: The Liberation-Field of Triveṇī and the Śālagrāma Sacred Landscape

Uttara Bhāga · Tīrtha-māhātmya (Sacred Geography Narratives)

Devanagari script

तस्यैव पूर्वदिग्भागे हंसतीर्थमिति स्मृतम् ॥ तत्रैकं कौतुकं वृत्तं तच्छृणुष्व महत्तरम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 144.175

Transliteration

tasyaiva pūrvadigbhāge haṃsatīrtham iti smṛtam | tatraikaṃ kautukaṃ vṛttaṃ tac chṛṇuṣva mahattaram ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Sa silangang panig ng mismong pook na iyon ay inaalala ang isang tawiran na tinatawag na Haṃsatīrtha. Doon ay naganap ang isang pambihirang pangyayari—pakinggan mo ito, na lalo pang kahanga-hanga.

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Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its
• Type: Noun
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/षष्ठी), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सम्भव (of tad)
• Role: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)
• Role: सम्बन्ध (emphatic particle)
• Root: एव (अव्यय)

• पूर्व-दिक्-भागे: in the eastern-direction region
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative); पुंलिङ्ग (भाग), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/सप्तमी), एकवचन
• Role: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)

• हंस-तीर्थम्: (the place called) Haṃsa-tīrtha
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन
• Role: कर्तृ/कर्म (as subject-complement of ‘smṛtam’)
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)
• Role: वाक्य-सम्बन्ध (quotative marker)
• Root: इति (अव्यय)

• स्मृतम्: is known/called
• Type: Verb
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोग (is called/remembered)
• Role: क्रिया (verbal predicate)
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)

• तत्र: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)
• Role: अधिकरण (locative sense)
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)

• एकम्: one
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies ‘kautukam’)
• Role: कर्म (object-qualifier)
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)

• कौतुकम्: marvel/curious event
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (object)
• Root: कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)

• वृत्तम्: happened/occurred
• Type: Verb
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘occurred/happened’
• Role: क्रिया (predicate complement to ‘kautukam’)
• Root: वृत् (धातु)

• तत्: that
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (object of ‘śṛṇuṣva’)
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• शृणुष्व: listen (to it)
• Type: Verb
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/लोट्), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद
• Role: क्रिया (imperative)
• Root: श्रु (धातु)

• महत्तरम्: greater/very great
• Type: Adjective
• Form: तुलनात्मक-रूप (comparative); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘tat/kautukam’)
• Role: विशेषण (qualifier)
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• तस्यैव = तस्य + एव
• पूर्वदिग्भागे = पूर्व-दिक्-भागे (समास)
• तत्रैकम् = तत्र + एकम्
• तच्छृणुष्व = तत् + शृणुष्व

Speaker and setting

Adbhuta and Shanta rasaSetting: Tīrtha (named ford)

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

What is Haṃsatīrtha near Tridhārā, and what extraordinary incident occurred there?

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Itihāsa-narrative as instruction

Subjects

GeographyHeritage Sites

Core idea

Sacred places are taught through exemplary ‘incidents’ (kautuka/vṛtta) that encode dharma, devotion, or divine intervention.

In practice

Listen (śravaṇa) attentively to tīrtha narratives as a form of sādhanā—letting place-based stories refine values and deepen reverence.

The Varaha avatara

Aspect

Dialogue

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Vaishnavism
• Ancient Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It introduces a named tīrtha (Haṃsatīrtha) and frames the following passage as an etiological narrative explaining how a sacred place-name and reputation are established in Purāṇic literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

Haṃsatīrtha is identified as lying in the eastern sector of the previously described sacred region; the passage itself does not provide a modern identification.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily functions as a narrative preface, encouraging attentive listening to a culturally significant account tied to place-memory and sacred geography.