Varaha Purana 94.46 — Adhyaya 94, Shloka 46

The Birth of Mahiṣāsura and the Goddess’s Victory as Mahīṣamardinī

Devanagari script

ततः कालेन महता शतशृङ्गे महागिरौ । पद्भ्यामाक्रम्य शूलेन निहतो दैत्यसत्तमः ॥

Transliteration

tataḥ kālena mahatā śataśṛṅge mahāgirau | padbhyām ākramya śūlena nihato daityasattamaḥ ||

Translation

ثم بعد زمنٍ طويل، على الجبل العظيم المسمّى «شاتاشرِنغا» (Śataśṛṅga)، قُتل أرفعُ الدايتيّات: ديس تحت الأقدام وأُسقط بضربة رمحٍ ثلاثيّ الشُّعَب.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनन्तरवाचक (adverb: ‘then/thereafter’)

• कालेन: by time
• कालेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• महता: great
• महता: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (agreeing with kālena)

• शत-शृङ्गे: on Śataśṛṅga (the hundred-peaked)
• शत-शृङ्गे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (locative)

• महागिरौ: on the great mountain
• महागिरौ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• पद्भ्याम्: with (his) feet
• पद्भ्याम्: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; द्विवचन (instrumental dual)

• आक्रम्य: having trampled / having stepped upon
• आक्रम्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• शूलेन: with a spear/trident
• शूलेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• निहतः: was slain
• निहतः: Kriyā (क्रियासमान-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु) → निहत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (predicate)

• दैत्य-सत्तमः: the best of the demons
• दैत्य-सत्तमः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; explicit speaker not marked in this verse)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Śataśṛṅga (mountain)","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma-restoration","core_concept":"Adharma embodied by a ‘foremost daitya’ is ultimately subdued; time (kāla) ripens conflict toward re-establishing balance.","practical_application":"Endure long struggles with steadiness; act decisively when the moment to curb harm arrives."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Mythic Warfare","Sacred Geography (Mountain Toponym)"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Geographic Context

Type: mountain

Cross References

Related Themes: Varaha Purana 94.94 (continuation into Devī’s victory and stuti)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On the towering Śataśṛṅga mountain, the daitya champion is crushed underfoot and felled by a trident blow—an apex battle moment.","item_prompts":["multi-peaked mountain (hundred peaks)","fallen daitya","raised trident (śūla)","divine foot trampling","stormy sky or battle dust"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dynamic diagonal composition on a stylized mountain, bold reds/ochres, trident emphasized, daitya in dramatic fall.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: trident rendered with gold highlights; mountain as layered backdrop; divine figure central, daitya subdued below.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: controlled dynamism, detailed weaponry, expressive faces; mountain contours finely shaded.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: crisp mountain ridges, narrative clarity, bright textiles; action frozen at the trident strike."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"martial-narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"firm, energetic, emphatic on action verbs"}

Tags

• Purāṇic Narrative
• Śākta Traditions
• Mythic Geography

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies how Purāṇas anchor mythic events to named landscapes (a mountain toponym), supporting the broader Purāṇic project of mapping cultural memory onto geography.

Which geographic location is identified?

Śataśṛṅga Mahāgiri is named as the setting; the excerpt does not provide further identifiers for modern correlation.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The narrative frames the defeat of destructive forces (daitya) as a restoration of order, a common Purāṇic ethical theme expressed through mythic action rather than direct moral aphorism.