Varaṇā

Varaṇā

The Varaṇā is the holy river of Vārāṇasī. The Vāmana Purāṇa says that it flows from the right foot of Yogaśāyī, who is born of Bhagavān Vishṇu‘s own imperishable aṃśa (portion), while the river Asi flows from his left foot. The Varaṇā destroys every pāpa (sin) and gives good. The two rivers are revered by all the worlds, and the kshetra of Yogaśāyī between them, where the city of Vārāṇasī stands, has no equal in svarga, on earth or in pātāla.

Three accounts of the Purāṇa meet at the Varaṇā. Bhagavān Vishṇu told Bhagavān Śiva of these two rivers when he sent him to Vārāṇasī to be freed of Brahmahatyā. Sūrya, burning in the fire of Bhagavān Śiva’s eye, fell between the Varaṇā and the Asī and rolled from one to the other, cooling his body in their waters, until Bhagavān Śiva named him Lola. And Prahlāda, on his tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage to the holy places), bathed separately in the Asī and the Varaṇā and worshipped the pitṛs (ancestors).

Born from the foot of Yogaśāyī

Bhagavān Śiva, with Brahmahatyā clinging to him, had darśana of Bhagavān Vishṇu at Kurujāṅgala and praised him with a stotra. Cakrapāṇi answered him with words that remove brahmahatyā, sweet to the ear and auspicious:

“East of here, in the Prayāga kshetra, there dwells eternally Yogaśāyī, born of my imperishable aṃśa. From his right foot arose the river Varaṇā, destroyer of all pāpas and giver of good. From his left foot came forth the river called Asi. These two rivers are revered by the worlds and are holy. The kshetra of Yogaśāyī between the two is a holy tīrtha that removes all pāpas, the best in the three worlds. In svarga, on earth and in pātāla there is no kshetra like it.”

“Īśvara! There is the supremely holy and auspicious city of Vārāṇasī. In that place even those given to enjoyment attain laya (absorption) in you.” There, he said, Lolārka Deva dwells and Keśava is present at Daśāśvamedha. Bhagavān Śiva went there, bathed in the tīrthas of the city, and was freed from all pāpas.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 3

Sūrya in the Varaṇā

When Sūrya threw down the shining city of the rākshasa king Sukeśī, a devotee of Maheśvara, Bhagavān Śiva opened his third eye and looked keenly at Sūrya, and at the mere touch of the fire of Hara’s eye Sūrya fell from the sky. The ṛshis told him to fall in Hari’s kshetra, the city of Vārāṇasī, which stretches from Yogaśāyī to the darśana of Keśava.

Burning in the flames of Śiva’s eye-fire, Sūrya fell in the land between the rivers Varaṇā and Asī. Unable to bear the flames, he fell into the Asī, rolled on from there and sank into the waters of the Varaṇā. Again from the Varaṇā to the Asī, from the Asī to the Varaṇā, again and again, like a wheel of fire, rolling as he pleased, he kept wetting his burning body in those waters. Then Brahmā brought Bhagavān Śiva to Vārāṇasī; Bhagavān Śiva touched Sūrya with his hand, named him Lola, and seated him on the ratha.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 16

Prahlāda bathes in the Varaṇā

On his long tīrtha-yātrā, Prahlāda kept a fast for the whole month of Māgha at Prayāga and from there went to Vārāṇasī. There he bathed separately in the rivers Asī and Varaṇā, which take away all pāpa, and worshipped the pitṛ-devatās. Then he worshipped Avimukteśvara and Mādhava, went round the city and served Lolārka Deva.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 57

Sources

• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 3, 16, 57