Shloka 776

धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)

Devanagari script

हिरण्याक्ष॑ वधिष्यामि दैतेयं बलगर्वितम्‌ | जिसके सारे अंग प्राणियोंसे भरे हुए हैं तथा जो समुद्रसे घिरी हुई है, वही यह पृथ्वी जब भारी भारसे दबकर घोर महासागरमें निमग्न हो जायगी, उस समय मैं वाराहरूप धारण करके इसे पुनः अपने स्थानपर ला दूँगा। उसी समय बलके घमंडमें भरे हुए हिरण्याक्ष नामक दैत्यका वध कर डालूँगा

Transliteration

hiraṇyākṣaṁ vadhiṣyāmi daiteyaṁ balagarvitam | yasyāḥ sarvāṅgāni prāṇibhir bhṛtāni sā ca samudraparivṛtā iyam pṛthivī yadā gurubhāreṇa pīḍitā ghoramahāsāgare nimajjayiṣyati tadāhaṁ vārāharūpaṁ dhṛtvā enāṁ punaḥ svasthāne sthāpayiṣyāmi | tasminn eva kāle balamadamattasya hiraṇyākṣanāmno daityasya vadhaṁ kariṣyāmi ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “I shall slay Hiraṇyākṣa, the Daitya swollen with pride in his strength. When this Earth—encircled by the ocean and filled throughout with living beings—sinks into the dreadful great sea under the pressure of an unbearable burden, then I will assume the form of the Boar and restore her to her proper place. At that very time I will destroy the demon named Hiraṇyākṣa, intoxicated by the arrogance of power.”

Word by Word

• {'hiraṇyākṣa': 'Hiraṇyākṣa (a Daitya/demon in the Varāha narrative)', 'vadhiṣyāmi': 'I will kill

• I shall slay (future, 1st sg.)', 'daiteya': 'a Daitya

• demon/anti-god figure', 'balagarvita': 'proud of strength

• arrogant through power', 'pṛthivī': 'the Earth', 'samudra': 'ocean, sea', 'parivṛta': 'surrounded, encircled', 'prāṇin': 'living being, creature', 'bhṛta': 'filled, borne, supported', 'gurubhāra': 'heavy burden

• oppressive weight', 'pīḍita': 'pressed down, afflicted, oppressed', 'nimajj': 'to sink, submerge', 'ghora': 'terrible, dreadful', 'mahāsāgara': 'great ocean', 'vārāha-rūpa': 'the Boar-form (Varāha incarnation)', 'dhṛtvā': 'having assumed/taken up', 'punaḥ': 'again', 'svasthāna': 'one’s own proper place/position', 'sthāpayāmi': 'I establish, set, restore', 'kāla': 'time, occasion', 'mada': 'intoxication, arrogance', 'vadha': 'slaying, killing'}

Speaker

(भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Hiraṇyākṣa
• Daitya/Daiteya
• Pṛthivī (Earth)
• Samudra/Mahāsāgara (Ocean/Great Sea)
• Varāha (Boar-form)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power that turns into arrogance (bala-garva, mada) becomes destructive and invites downfall; dharma is upheld when the vulnerable—here symbolized by the Earth bearing all beings—are protected and restored to their rightful place.

What is happening in the narrative?

A promise is voiced to rescue the Earth when she sinks into the ocean under an unbearable burden: the speaker declares that he will assume the Varāha (Boar) form, lift and re-establish the Earth, and at that time slay the demon Hiraṇyākṣa who is intoxicated with strength.