Varaha Purana 21.81: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 81

The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share

Pūrva Bhāga · Genealogical & Deva–Asura Narrative Cycle (Dakṣa–Rudra Episode)

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा तदा दक्षस्तां कन्यां ब्रह्मसन्निधौ । ददौ रुद्राय महते गौरीं परमशोभनाम् ॥ २१.८२ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 21.81

Transliteration

evam uktvā tadā dakṣas tāṃ kanyāṃ brahmasannidhau | dadau rudrāya mahate gaurīṃ paramaśobhanām || 21.82 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

وبعد أن قال ذلك، قدّم دَكْشَا، بحضرة براهما، تلك الفتاة—غَوْرِي الباهرة الجمال—إلى رُدْرَا العظيم۔

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Word by Word

• evam: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), manner-adverb (प्रकारवाचक)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: evam (अव्यय)

• uktvā: having said
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √vac (वच्)
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Root: vac (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)

• tadā: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), time-adverb (कालवाचक)
• Role: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)

• dakṣaḥ: Dakṣa
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• tām: her / that
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); pronoun referring to the girl
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• kanyām: the maiden/daughter
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)

• brahma-sannidhau: in Brahmā’s presence
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी) Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘in the presence of Brahmā’
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + sannidhi (प्रातिपदिक)

• dadau: gave
• Type: Verb
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Singular (एकवचन), parasmaipada; from √dā (दा)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: dā (धातु)

• rudrāya: to Rudra
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (चतुर्थी) Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)

• mahate: to the great (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (चतुर्थी) Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying ‘rudrāya’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)

• gaurīm: Gaurī
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); apposition to ‘kanyām’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)

• parama-śobhanām: most beautiful
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: ‘supremely beautiful’; qualifies ‘gaurīm/kanyām’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + śobhanā (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• dakṣas tāṃ → dakṣaḥ + tām
• brahmasannidhau → brahma + sannidhau (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
• paramaśobhanām → parama + śobhanām.

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Shringara rasaSetting: Divine sabhā

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Dharma (saṃskāra/ritual legitimacy)

Subjects

GenealogyMythic-Historical NarrativeMarriage AllianceDeity Iconography

Core idea

Saṃskāras gain authority through proper procedure and recognized witnessing, aligning personal bonds with cosmic order.

In practice

Treat life-transitions (marriage, vows, initiations) as dharmic acts: perform them with due rite, consent, and accountable witnesses.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava Shared Traditions
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic narrative motif in which a formal marriage-gift (kanyādāna) is performed publicly, here explicitly “in the presence of Brahmā,” reflecting how Purāṇas frame social rites through mythic authority figures.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic toponym appears in this verse; the setting is indicated only as brahmasannidhau (“in Brahmā’s presence”), a narrative/ritual context rather than a place-name.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily conveys a cultural-ritual principle: the conferral of a marriage alliance is portrayed as a formally witnessed act, emphasizing public legitimacy and accountability in social rites.