Varaha Purana 96.9: Adhyaya 96, Shloka 9
The Threefold Power: The Raudrī Observance and the Manifestation of Chāmuṇḍā
तत्र द्विपा दैत्यवरैरुपेताः समानघण्टायुत किंकिणीकाः ॥ विनिर्ययुः स्वाकृतिभीपणाश्च समत्वमुच्चैः खलु दर्शयन्तः
tatra dvipā daityavarair upetāḥ samānaghaṇṭāyuta kiṃkiṇīkāḥ || viniryayuḥ svākṛtibhīpaṇāś ca samatvam uccaiḥ khalu darśayantaḥ
Dort traten Elefanten hervor, begleitet von erlesenen Daityas, versehen mit gleichgestimmten Glocken und klingenden Zieraten—schrecklich schon durch ihre Gestalt—und zeigten gleichmäßigen Schritt und hohen, erhabenen Wuchs.
Varāha (default, not explicit in fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"aesthetics of power / warning against intimidation","core_concept":"Adharma often advances with pageantry—bells, ornaments, disciplined pace—using fear and grandeur as instruments of domination.","practical_application":"Cultivate steadiness (dhairya) amid intimidation; judge authority by virtue, not by the trappings of royal force."}
Subject Matter: ["Mythic Warfare","Material Culture (bells, ornaments)","Courtly-Military Aesthetics"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: military-cosmic staging ground
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 96 (catalogue of asura military divisions)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A line of war-elephants advances, each with matching bells and tinkling ornaments; towering daitya commanders ride or flank them, the herd moving with measured, even strides and imposing height.","item_prompts":["war elephants in formation","bells (ghaṇṭā) and anklet-like kinkiṇī","daitya riders/attendants","ornate caparisons","dust clouds from steady march","sense of scale and height"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: richly patterned caparisons, decorative bell motifs; elephants in rhythmic procession; daityas with bold facial features and jewelry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: gold-highlighted bells and ornaments; embossed caparisons; elephants rendered monumental with jewel-toned trappings.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: naturalistic elephant anatomy with refined ornament detail; soft background wash; emphasis on dignified pace.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: stylized elephants in a gentle diagonal march; bright ornament dots; narrative clarity with daitya figures in profile."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"processional, intimidating","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"measured, weighty, with audible emphasis on bell-sounds implied by the meter"}
FAQs
It reflects the prestige of elephants in South Asian military imagination and provides lexicon relevant to ornamentation and procession in Sanskrit sources.
No specific place-name is provided; the verse remains within the battle-narrative setting.
The verse implicitly contrasts spectacle and intimidation with the deeper question of rightful order, a recurring Purāṇic theme.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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 word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.