Varaha Purana 96.7: Adhyaya 96, Shloka 7
The Threefold Power: The Raudrī Observance and the Manifestation of Chāmuṇḍā
Pūrva Bhāga · Omens and Mobilization (Martial Narrative)
उत्तिष्ठतस्तस्य महासुरस्य समुद्रतोयं ववृद्धेऽतिमात्रम् ॥ अनेकनकप्रदमीनजुष्टमालावयपर्वतसानुदेशान्
uttiṣṭhatas tasya mahāsurasya samudratoyaṃ vavṛddhe'timātram || anekanaka-prada-mīna-juṣṭa-mālāvaya-parvata-sānudeśān
uttiShThatastasya mahAsurasya samudratoyaM vavRRithe.atimAtram || anekanakapradamInajuShTamAlAvayaparvatasAnudeshAn
Als jener große Asura sich erhob, schwollen die Wasser des Ozeans übermäßig an und überfluteten Gegenden—Berghänge und Gebirgsstriche—reich an vielerlei edlen Metallen und von Fischen belebt.
Sandhi Notes
- ववृद्धेऽतिमात्रम् = ववृद्धे + अति-मात्रम्
- समुद्रतोयम् = समुद्र-तोयम्. अंतिमपादे दीर्घसमासः: अनेक-नक-प्रद-मीन-जुष्ट-मालावय-पर्वत-सानु-देशान् (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समूहः; मुख्यपदम् ‘सानुदेशान्’)
Varāha
When destructive power rises, the first symptom is boundary-collapse—waters transgress limits, endangering Earth’s stability.
Uphold ‘maryādā’ (limits)—social, ethical, and ecological; recognize disorder early by its spillover effects and respond with stabilizing, dharmic action.
The asura’s emergence causing ocean-swell signals prakṛti’s turbulence when adharma rises; the ‘ocean’ functions as the undifferentiated mass that overflows boundaries when cosmic restraint (ṛta) is disturbed.
Implicit contrast: when yajña/ṛta is disrupted, waters exceed their ‘maryādā’ (bounds); later Varāha restores boundaries by lifting/stabilizing Earth.
Adharmic agitation of guṇas (rajas/tamas) manifests as environmental upheaval; restoration requires sattvic divine intervention to re-establish order and limits.
Varāha Purāṇa 96 (environmental disturbance accompanying asura uprising)
FAQs
It exemplifies Purāṇic 'cosmic sympathy'—natural elements respond to moral-political upheaval—an important feature of Indian mythic historiography.
The verse mentions generic mountain slopes and regions near the ocean; no single identifiable toponym is provided.
The narrative suggests that violent ambition destabilizes not only society but also the natural order, a motif later used to frame stewardship and restraint.
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