Shloka 53
Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
तव यज्ञविघातार्थ सम्प्राप्तं विद्धि मामिह । मैं यहाँ आये हुए श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंका दर्शन करने या कौतूहलवश इस यज्ञका तमाशा देखनेके लिये नहीं आया हूँ। तुम्हें यह मालूम होना चाहिये कि मैं तुम्हारे इस यज्ञका विनाश करनेके लिये ही यहाँ आया हूँ ।। वीरभद्र इति ख्यातों रुद्रकोपाद् विनि:सृत:,मेरा नाम वीरभद्र है। रुद्रदेवके क्रोधसे मेरा प्राकटय हुआ है। यह नारी भद्रकालीके नामसे विख्यात है और देवी पार्वतीके कोपसे प्रकट हुई है। देवाधिदेव महादेवने हम दोनोंको यहाँ भेजा है। इसलिये हम दोनों इस यज्ञके निकट आये हैं
tava yajñavighātārthaṃ samprāptaṃ viddhi mām iha | vīrabhadra iti khyāto rudrakopād viniḥsṛtaḥ |
Vīrabhadra said: “Know that I have come here for the very purpose of disrupting your sacrifice. I have not arrived to behold the venerable brāhmaṇas assembled here, nor out of mere curiosity to watch this rite as a spectacle. Understand clearly: I have come to destroy this yajña. I am famed as Vīrabhadra, brought forth from Rudra’s wrath.”
वीरभद्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual power is not self-justifying: when a sacrifice is driven by arrogance, exclusion, or disrespect toward the divine and dharma, it becomes vulnerable to moral and cosmic correction. The verse underscores accountability—rites must align with right intention and reverence.
Vīrabhadra announces his identity and mission: he has arrived specifically to disrupt and destroy the ongoing sacrifice, declaring that he is a manifestation born from Rudra’s wrath, not a mere spectator of the ritual gathering.