Varaha Purana 93.5: Adhyaya 93, Shloka 5
The Battle of Mahiṣa Daitya and the Gods
Pūrva Bhāga · Daitya–Deva Saṅgrāma (Boon and Invulnerability Motif)
स चापि बलवान् दैत्यो ब्रह्मणो वरदर्पितः । अवध्यः पुरुषेणाजौ यद्यपि स्यात् पिनाकधृक् ॥
sa cāpi balavān daityo brahmaṇo varadarpitaḥ | avadhyaḥ puruṣeṇājau yady api syāt pinākadhṛk ||
sa chApi balavAn daityo brahmaNo varadarpitaH | avadhyaH puruSheNAjau yadyapi syAt pinAkadhRRik
Auch jener Daitya war gewaltig, vom Segen Brahmās hochmütig gemacht; im Kampf konnte er von keinem Mann getötet werden, selbst wenn der Träger der Pināka (Śiva) zugegen wäre.
Sandhi Notes
- स चापि → सः + च + अपि
- पुरुषेणाजौ → पुरुषेण + अजौ
- यद्यपि → यदि + अपि
- वरदर्पितः treated as वर-तत्पुरुष with कृदन्त दर्पित (√दृप् + क्त)
Varāha (continuing narrative frame)
Concerned; recognizes the peril created by boon-logic
Implicit: how can dharma prevail when boons create ‘avadhyatva’ (invulnerability)?
Vara-darpa: gifts without inner purification become fuel for ego; dharma cannot be permanently blocked by technicalities—cosmic intelligence finds a restoring path.
Seek boons/advantages only with humility and ethical intent; do not rely on ‘loopholes’ for security—cultivate virtue as true protection.
The ‘not slain by a man’ clause sets the theological stage for non-human/other-than-man solutions—classically enabling avatāra forms beyond ordinary categories; Varāha as a non-human divine form exemplifies dharma’s adaptive restoration.
Implicit: avatāra assumes the precise form needed to bypass adharma’s protections, like yajña adapting rites to context while preserving essence.
Īśvara’s līlā operates within granted ‘laws’ (boons) yet transcends them through māyā-śakti—manifesting forms that are neither constrained by human limitation nor violating cosmic order.
Boons (vara) granted even by Brahmā can generate adharma-protecting loopholes (e.g., ‘not slain by a man’), necessitating higher divine intervention to restore balance.
Misused boons inflate darpa (pride) and precipitate downfall; righteous granting/asking aligns with loka-saṅgraha, while loophole-seeking leads to destruction.
Varaha Purana 93.93.12 (Mahisha charges Indra; this verse explains why he is so formidable)
FAQs
The boon-based invulnerability trope is central to Purāṇic and epic plot mechanics, enabling structured resolutions (often via non-human or exceptional agents).
No geographic site is specified; the verse focuses on a conditional rule of slayability in battle.
Implicitly, it cautions that power secured through boons can cultivate pride (darpita), a destabilizing moral quality in the narrative.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple 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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
