Varaha Purana 28.23: Adhyaya 28, Shloka 23
The Manifestation of Māyā as Durgā/Kātyāyanī and the Slaying of Vaitrāsura
चक्रं शङ्खं गदां पाशं खङ्गं घण्टां तथा धनुः । धारयन्ती तथा चान्यान् बद्धतूणा जलाद् बहिः ॥ २८.२३ ॥
cakraṃ śaṅkhaṃ gadāṃ pāśaṃ khaṅgaṃ ghaṇṭāṃ tathā dhanuḥ | dhārayantī tathā cānyān baddhatūṇā jalād bahiḥ || 28.23 ||
كانت تحمل القرص، والصدفة، والهراوة، والحبل (اللاسو)، والسيف، والجرس، والقوس، وكذلك أسلحةً أخرى؛ وقد شُدَّت كنانتها، ووقفت خارج الماء.
Varāha (default narrator/instructor framework; explicit speaker not stated in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The verse foregrounds śakti as the armed, protective potency that externalizes the Lord’s will; the weapon-bearing form functions as a ritual-cosmic ‘equipment’ (āyudha-sampad) by which adharma is restrained and order is re-established.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Not explicit Yajña-Varāha limb-mapping; rather, a Vaiṣṇava āyudha-set (cakra/śaṅkha/gadā/pāśa/khadga/ghaṇṭā/dhanus) indicating cosmic governance (cakra), auspicious proclamation (śaṅkha/ghaṇṭā), force (gadā), binding of evil (pāśa), discriminative cutting (khadga), and targeted protection (dhanus).","vedantic_connection":"Śakti as upādhi of Īśvara: the one Conscious Lord appears as manifold powers; weapons symbolize functional differentiations (vyavahāra) while the agent remains non-dual in essence."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of śakti","core_concept":"Divine protection operates through ordered powers (āyudhas) that restrain chaos and uphold dharma.","practical_application":"Cultivate inner ‘weapons’: discernment (khadga), steadiness (gadā), disciplined restraint (pāśa), and auspicious speech/ritual sound (śaṅkha/ghaṇṭā) in confronting adharma."}
Subject Matter: ["Iconography","Cosmology","Mythic Geography","Textual Description"]
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: cosmic threshold (waters/primordial ocean motif)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 28.28.24-27 (Devī’s battle and stuti sequence)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A resplendent Goddess stands just beyond the waters, fully armed with Vaiṣṇava-style weapons, a quiver bound at her waist/back, poised for combat.","item_prompts":["discus (cakra)","conch (śaṅkha)","mace (gadā)","noose (pāśa)","sword (khadga)","bell (ghaṇṭā)","bow (dhanus)","quiver (baddha-tūṇa)","shoreline/edge of cosmic waters","aura/tejas"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal Devī with elongated eyes, saturated reds/greens, ornate jewelry; weapons symmetrically arranged; stylized blue waters behind; soft halo.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central Devī with thick gold-leaf halo and jewelry, embossed weapons, rich maroon backdrop, shimmering shoreline band; quiver highlighted with gold relief.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, subdued jewel tones, refined facial expression; detailed weapon forms; gentle gradation of water and sky; elegant ornaments.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical landscape with rippling water, slender Devī figure, bright textiles, simplified weapons, expressive eyes; pale sky and rhythmic shoreline."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic and martial","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, resonant, declarative"}
FAQs
It preserves a standardized Purāṇic catalog of divine weapons and attributes, useful for comparing textual iconography with temple sculpture, manuscript illustration traditions, and later stotra literature.
No specific place-name appears in this verse; the only spatial marker is 'jalād bahiḥ' (“outside/from the water”), a common narrative motif rather than a precise geographic identifier.
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive; its philosophical function is to frame authority and protection through iconographic symbolism (weapons as signs of safeguarding order), without stating a direct moral injunction.
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