Shloka 38
Hymn of Victory: Varāha, the Slaying of Hiraṇyākṣa, and the Praise of Viṣṇu
हेरंबं त्रिशरेणैव चत्वारिंशच्छरैर्यमम् । तथैव कालं मृत्युं च पाणिना द्विगुणेन च
heraṃbaṃ triśareṇaiva catvāriṃśaccharairyamam | tathaiva kālaṃ mṛtyuṃ ca pāṇinā dviguṇena ca
Mit drei Pfeilen traf er Heramba; mit vierzig Pfeilen Yama. Ebenso traf er auch Kāla und Mṛtyu — mit der doppelten Zahl an Pfeilen.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (narratorial verse within Adhyaya 75).
Concept: Even the personifications of death and time are not ultimate; the narrative implies a hierarchy where the Supreme Reality transcends and governs them.
Application: Contemplate mortality to prioritize dharma and devotion; fear of death lessens when one anchors identity in the eternal rather than the perishable.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The daitya’s arrows pierce not only warriors but cosmic officials: Heramba reels from three shafts, while Yama—dark, stern, with a noose—absorbs a staggering forty. Behind them loom Kāla and Mṛtyu as vast shadow-forms, struck by doubled volleys, their silhouettes cracking like night split by lightning, suggesting an audacious assault on the very machinery of fate.","primary_figures":["Heramba","Yama","Kāla","Mṛtyu","Daitya archer/king"],"setting":"A liminal cosmic court-battlefield where judgment-hall motifs (pillars, scales, noose) blend with storm-cloud voids and astral darkness.","lighting_mood":"apocalyptic, lightning-slashed gloom","color_palette":["obsidian black","ashen violet","noose-gold","bone white","crimson sparks"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Yama with halo and ornate crown seated/standing with pāśa, struck by many arrows; Heramba to the side with three arrows; Kāla and Mṛtyu as towering dark forms behind, fractured by arrow patterns; heavy gold leaf for halos, weapons, and border, rich reds and greens contrasting the dark cosmic backdrop.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined depiction of Yama and Heramba in a stylized court; Kāla and Mṛtyu as translucent looming figures in indigo washes; arrows as fine white lines; cool nocturnal palette with delicate lightning and cloud curls.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic Yama with bold outlines and flat pigments, arrows rendered as repeated motifs; Kāla/Mṛtyu as stylized dark deities with dramatic eyes; strong reds/yellows/greens against deep black-blue, temple mural symmetry and rhythmic patterning.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: cosmic night field with ornate borders; Yama central with decorative noose motif; arrows as patterned diagonals; Kāla and Mṛtyu as large symbolic silhouettes filled with floral/lotus micro-patterns; deep blues and gold, intricate textile-like detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["deep gong","conch shell","thunder rolls","low drone (tanpura)","sudden silence after climactic line"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: triśareṇaiva = त्रिशरेण + एव; catvāriṃśaccharaiḥ = चत्वारिंशत्-शरैः (त् + श → च्छ); tathaiva = तथा + एव.
FAQs
Yama is the lord who judges the dead; Kāla is Time as an all-consuming cosmic force often equated with death; Mṛtyu is Death personified. The verse portrays them as beings that can be confronted within a mythic narrative.
Numbered strikes are a common Purāṇic epic device to convey intensity, hierarchy of opponents, and the hero’s prowess—here escalating from three arrows to forty, and then “double” for Kāla and Mṛtyu.
Indirectly: by depicting even Yama/Death/Time as opponents within the story, it emphasizes that cosmic powers are ultimately subordinate to a higher divine order operating through the narrative’s central agent.