Varaha Purana 83.2: Adhyaya 83, Shloka 2

Description of the Bhadrāśva and Ketumāla Regions: Niṣadha’s Western Janapadas and River Systems

Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmography of Continents/Regions (Bhadrāśva and Ketumāla)

Devanagari script

निसर्ग एष भद्राश्वानां कीर्तितः केतुमालानां विस्तरेण कथितम्।

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 83.2

Transliteration

nisarga eṣa bhadrāśvānāṁ kīrtitaḥ ketumālānāṁ vistareṇa kathitam

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Sự sắp đặt tự nhiên (theo vùng miền) của Bhadrāśva đã được nêu; còn Ketumāla đã được thuật lại một cách chi tiết.

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Word by Word

• nisargaḥ: creation / natural arrangement
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: nisarga (प्रातिपदिक)

• eṣaḥ: this
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• bhadrāśvānām: of the Bhadrāśvas
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: bhadrāśva (प्रातिपदिक)

• kīrtitaḥ: has been described
• Type: Verb
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृत्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); passive sense ‘has been described’
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया; कर्मणि-प्रयोग)
• Root: kīrtita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kīrt कीर्तने)

• ketumālānām: of the Ketumālās
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ketumāla (प्रातिपदिक)

• vistareṇa: in detail
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially (क्रियाविशेषणवत्) = ‘in detail’
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)

• kathitam: has been narrated
• Type: Verb
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृत्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); impersonal passive ‘it has been told’
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया; कर्मणि-प्रयोग)
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kath कथने)

Sandhi Notes

• bhadrāśvānām/ketumālānām are genitive plurals of proper-region names

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Cosmographic regions (varṣas)

Speaker

Rudra

The teaching

Path

Cosmic Order

Subjects

CosmologyGeographyTextual Organization

Core idea

Nisarga (natural arrangement) implies an intelligible, structured cosmos; geography is presented as part of ṛta-like order.

In practice

Approach purāṇic geography as a layered teaching: literal catalog + symbolic ordering of human/divine realms.

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Cosmography
• Ancient Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It signals an editorial/narrative transition, indicating how Purāṇic cosmography is organized into region-by-region accounts.

Which geographic location is identified?

Bhadrāśva and Ketumāla are cosmographic regions (often treated as divisions within the Purāṇic world-system), not directly mappable to a single modern location.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No direct ethical instruction; the verse is primarily classificatory and organizational.