Varaha Purana 28.3 — Adhyaya 28, Shloka 3
The Manifestation of Māyā as Durgā/Kātyāyanī and the Slaying of Vaitrāsura
पुत्रो मे शक्रनाशाय भवेदिति नारदाधिपः । एवं कृतमतिः सोऽथ महता तपसा स्वकम् । कलेवरं स्थितो भूत्वा शोषयामास सुव्रत ॥ २८.३ ॥
putro me śakranāśāya bhaved iti nāradhipaḥ | evaṃ kṛtamatīḥ so 'tha mahatā tapasā svakam | kalevaraṃ sthito bhūtvā śoṣayāmāsa suvrata || 28.3 ||
Mit dem Entschluss: „Möge mein Sohn der Vernichter Śakras (Indras) werden“, fasste der Herr unter den Menschen diesen Vorsatz; dann, in großer Askese gegründet, ließ er seinen eigenen Leib dahinschwinden und austrocknen — er, der standhaft Gelobende.
Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in the fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"A king’s resolve (saṅkalpa) and tapas can be formidable, but when driven by vengeance it becomes ethically fraught and self-consuming.","karmic_consequence":"Tapas pursued for adharma-leaning ends yields destructive outcomes and personal depletion (self-wasting), whereas righteous intent stabilizes merit and prosperity."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics_of_intention","core_concept":"Saṅkalpa (intention) shapes the moral trajectory of tapas; austerity is power, not automatically virtue.","practical_application":"Examine motives behind vows/discipline; redirect effort from revenge to dharmic protection and self-mastery."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Kingship","Asceticism (Tapas)","Mythic Conflict Motifs"]
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: None
Related Themes: 28.28.4-7 (causal inquiry and rebirth sequence)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ascetic-king stands immovable in severe tapas, body emaciating, eyes fixed with a vow of vengeance against Indra.","item_prompts":["emaciated ascetic-king","matted hair (jaṭā)","austere forest/hermitage","heat-haze aura of tapas","minimal water/food symbols","distant thundercloud hinting Indra"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal ascetic-king with stylized flame-aura (tapas), earthy palette, minimal background forest motifs, crisp ornament lines subdued by austerity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central ascetic figure with halo, selective gold-leaf for aura and vow-symbols, restrained ornaments to show renunciation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading on withered limbs, calm but intense gaze, subtle forest setting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: Himalayan miniature feel, sparse landscape, expressive face showing grim resolve, small Indra-cloud motif in corner."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"severe, ominous, vow-driven","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"grave, compressed intensity"}
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative motif where royal intention and ascetic practice (tapas) are presented as forces capable of shaping destiny, illustrating the literary linkage between kingship, vow-taking, and cosmic outcomes.
No geographic toponym appears in this verse fragment; the content is thematic (intention, Indra/Śakra, austerity) rather than locational.
The verse foregrounds the potency of deliberate resolve and disciplined austerity, while implicitly warning that intense practices can be directed by ethically charged intentions (here, hostility toward Śakra).
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.