Varaha Purana 201.34: Adhyaya 201, Shloka 34

The Battle between the Rākṣasas and Yama’s Attendant-Messengers

Devanagari script

ततो भग्ना यदा ते तु राक्षसाः कामरूपिणः ॥ प्रत्यपद्यन्त ते मायां तामसीं तमसावृताः

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 201.34

Transliteration

tato bhagnā yadā te tu rākṣasāḥ kāmarūpiṇaḥ || pratyapadyanta te māyāṃ tāmasīṃ tamasāvṛtāḥ

Translation

Als dann jene gestaltwandelnden Rākṣasas in die Flucht geschlagen waren, griffen sie, von Dunkel umhüllt, zu einer finsteren Täuschung.

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Word by Word

• ततः: then / thereafter
• ततः: सम्बन्ध (Temporal marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'then/from that')

• भग्नाः: defeated / broken
• भग्नाः: कर्तृ-विशेषण (Karta-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भञ्ज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; राक्षसाः-विशेषण ('broken/defeated')

• यदा: when
• यदा: सम्बन्ध (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal conjunction: 'when')

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• राक्षसाः: demons
• राक्षसाः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• कामरूपिणः: shape-shifting / assuming forms at will
• कामरूपिणः: कर्तृ-विशेषण (Karta-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'at will' + 'form-possessing'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; राक्षसाः-विशेषण

• प्रत्यपद्यन्त: they resorted to / took refuge in
• प्रत्यपद्यन्त: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + आ + पद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; उपसर्ग: प्रति-आ

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मायाम्: illusion / magic
• मायाम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• तामसीम्: dark / tamasic
• तामसीम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Karma-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तामसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; मायाम्-विशेषण

• तमसा: by darkness
• तमसा: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• आवृताः: covered / enveloped
• आवृताः: कर्तृ-विशेषण (Karta-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + वृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ते/राक्षसाः-विशेषण; उपसर्ग: आ

Speaker

Varāha (default narrative voice)

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Sanskrit Philosophical Vocabulary (māyā)
• Mythic Narrative Motifs

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It highlights the recurring Purāṇic motif of māyā as a tactical device in mythic warfare, and preserves key vocabulary (kāmarūpin, tāmasī māyā) for philological comparison.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No explicit ethical instruction is given; the verse contrasts defeat with resort to deception, a narrative theme rather than a prescriptive doctrine.