Varaha Purana 96.30 — Adhyaya 96, Shloka 30

The Threefold Power: The Raudrī Observance and the Manifestation of Chāmuṇḍā

Devanagari script

भीमाक्षि भीषणे देवि सर्वभूतभयङ्कर । कराले विकराले च महाकाले करालिनि ॥

Transliteration

bhīmākṣi bhīṣaṇe devi sarvabhūtabhayaṅkara | karāle vikarāle ca mahākāle karālini ||

Translation

O Göttin mit furchterregenden Augen, o Schreckliche—die allen Wesen Furcht einflößt; o Karālā, o Vikarālā, o Mahākālā, o Karālinī!

Word by Word

• bhīmākṣi: O fierce-eyed (goddess)
• bhīmākṣi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīma + akṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Sambodhana (8th/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• bhīṣaṇe: O terrifying one
• bhīṣaṇe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (8th), Ekavacana

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (8th), Ekavacana

• sarvabhūtabhayaṅkara: O terror to all beings
• sarvabhūtabhayaṅkara: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + bhūta + bhayaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (8th), Ekavacana; (sarvabhūtānāṃ bhayaṅkarā)

• karāle: O dreadful one
• karāle: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (8th), Ekavacana

• vikarāle: O very dreadful one
• vikarāle: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikarāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (8th), Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (समुच्चय-निपात, conjunction)

• mahākāle: O Great Time (Mahākālī)
• mahākāle: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (8th), Ekavacana

• karālini: O fierce one
• karālini: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karālinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (8th), Ekavacana

Speaker

Stotra voice (likely Devas or Rudra’s party; not explicit in fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"mantric theology of names","core_concept":"Divine names are not mere labels; they invoke specific powers (śakti) and modes (ugra) suited to removing fear and enemies.","practical_application":"Use focused invocation (nāma-japa/stotra) aligned to the needed inner quality—courage, boundary, protection."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Hymnic address (nāma-stuti)","Fierce iconography","Protective/apotropaic rhetoric"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: hymnic/ritual address within narrative

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 96.23 (emanated devīs)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A chorus (devas/attendants) praises the Goddess with terrifying eyes and fearsome forms—Karālā, Vikarālā, Mahākālā, Karālinī—amid a charged, protective atmosphere.","item_prompts":["fierce-eyed Devī","flaming aura","dark/blue-black complexion for Mahākālā aspect","garlands (possibly skulls), trident/sword","open mouth, fangs, wild hair","devotees/devas chanting with folded hands"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: ugra Devī with wide eyes, protruding fangs, flaming prabhāmaṇḍala; attendants chanting; dense ornament and rhythmic patterning.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic fierce Devī with gold halo and heavy jewelry; weapons emphasized with gold emboss; devotees at base in prayer.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: classical fierce Devī—controlled ferocity, detailed ornaments, balanced composition; chanting figures in the foreground.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: dramatic night-sky setting; Devī as Karālī/Mahākālī with flowing hair; small chanting figures; strong narrative contrast."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"fierce, protective, incantatory","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"grave, forceful articulation of the epithets (भीमाक्षि… कराले… महाकाले)"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Hymnology
• Śākta Motifs
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

Lists of epithets function as compressed theology and mnemonic catalogues, supporting liturgical reuse and iconographic identification across Purāṇic traditions.

Which geographic location is identified?

None; the verse is purely hymnic and descriptive.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It frames fear as something that can be ritually and verbally confronted through naming—language is used as a stabilizing cultural tool.