Varaha Purana 151.2: Adhyaya 151, Shloka 2

The Sacred Greatness of Lohārgala

The ‘Iron-Bolt’ Tīrtha

Uttara Bhāga · Lohārgala-Māhātmya (Inquiry by Earth)

Devanagari script

धरण्युवाच ॥ श्रुतमेतज्जगन्नाथ विष्णो गुह्यमनुत्तमम् ॥ यच्छ्रुत्वा सुमहाभाग जाता॒स्मि विगतज्वरा ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 151.2

Transliteration

dharaṇy uvāca || śrutam etaj jagannātha viṣṇo guhyam anuttamam || yac chrutvā sumahābhāga jātā'smi vigatajvarā ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Sinabi ng Daigdig: Narinig ko na, O Jagannātha, O Viṣṇu, ang lihim na ito na walang kapantay. Pagkarinig nito, O lubhang mapalad, ako’y naging walang lagnat—naluwagan sa dalamhati.

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Word by Word

• dharaṇī: Dharaṇī (Earth)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
• Role: Kartṛ (कर्ता)
• Root: dharaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)

• uvāca: said
• Type: Verb
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: vac (धातु)

• śrutam: (it is) heard
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kṛdanta past passive participle (क्त), Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; impersonal ‘it has been heard’
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: śru (धातु) + kta (क्त)

• etat: this
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)

• jagannātha: O Lord of the world
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: ‘jagato nāthaḥ’; Puṁliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: jagat + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)

• viṣṇo: O Viṣṇu
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)

• guhyam: secret
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; qualifies etat/śrutam (matter)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; superlative sense; qualifies guhyam/etat
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)

• yat: which
• Type: Noun
• Form: Relative pronoun, Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; object of śrutvā
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)

• śrutvā: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Root: śru (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)

• su-mahā-bhāga: O very fortunate one
• Type: Noun
• Form: Karmadhāraya (intensifying): ‘su-mahān bhāgaḥ’; Puṁliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Root: su + mahā + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)

• jātā: become
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kṛdanta past passive participle used adjectivally; Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; with asmi forms perfective predicate
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (क्त)

• asmi: I am
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (present), Uttama-puruṣa (1st), Ekavacana
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: as (धातु)

• vigata-jvarā: free from fever/affliction
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Bahuvrīhi: ‘vigato jvaro yasyāḥ sā’; Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate adjective of ‘aham’ (dharaṇī)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: vigata + jvara (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• dharaṇī+uvāca → dharaṇyuvāca
• śrutam+etat → śrutam etat
• jātā+asmi → jātā'smi
• yat+śrutvā → yac chrutvā (t→c before ś)

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Bhakti rasa

Speaker

Pṛthivī (Dharā/Vasundharā)

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

She worships

Her state of mind

Relieved, soothed; ‘vigata-jvarā’ (fever/distress removed)

What she asks

It is a testimonial of the transformative effect of hearing the secret teaching.

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Soteriological efficacy of śravaṇa

Subjects

EthicsTextual FramingCosmology

Core idea

Hearing divine/secret dharma-kathā removes inner ‘fever’—a metaphor for saṃtāpa (affliction) born of ignorance and burden.

In practice

Cultivate regular listening/recitation of purāṇic teachings; treat knowledge as medicine for anxiety, grief, and moral confusion.

The Varaha avatara

Aspect

Compassion

With the Earth

Bhūdevī addresses Viṣṇu/Varāha directly as Jagannātha, acknowledging the ‘guhya’ teaching and expressing relief.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Dialogue
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Intellectual History

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It highlights the Earth-as-interlocutor motif central to Varāha narratives, where cosmological restoration is paired with didactic transmission through dialogue.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific location is named in this verse; it functions as a transition into further discussion of sacred sites.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse values attentive hearing and knowledge as a means to resolve distress—an epistemic and moral theme in Purāṇic pedagogy.