Shloka 74

Devanagari script

तौ दानवौ हरिर्हत्वा कृत्वा हयशिरस्तनुम्‌ । पुनः प्रवृत्तिधर्मार्थ तामेव विदधे तनुम्‌,श्रीहरिने इस प्रकार हयग्रीवरूप धारण करके उन दोनों दानवोंका वध किया था। उन्होंने पुनः प्रवृत्तिधर्मका प्रचार करनेके लिये ही उस शरीरको प्रकट किया था

Transliteration

tau dānavau harir hatvā kṛtvā hayaśirastanum | punaḥ pravṛttidharmārthaṃ tām eva vidadhe tanum ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having slain those two Dānava demons, Hari—having assumed a body with the head of a horse—again manifested that very form for the sake of restoring and promoting the dharma of rightful worldly activity (pravṛtti).

Word by Word

तौthose two

दानवौtwo demons (Danavas)

हरिःHari (Vishnu)

हत्वाhaving slain

कृत्वाhaving made/assumed

हयशिरःतनुम्a body (tanu) with a horse-head

पुनःagain

प्रवृत्तिधर्मार्थम्for the purpose of the dharma of activity (pravṛtti)

ताम्that (body/form)

एवindeed/just

विदधेhe arranged/established/assumed

तनुम्body/form

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Hari (Viṣṇu)

two Dānavas

Hayagrīva (horse-headed form)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames divine violence as ethically purposive: Hari assumes a specific form and destroys demonic forces not for conquest, but to re-establish pravṛtti-dharma—righteous engagement in duties and social order—so that lawful action and moral life can continue.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana recounts that Hari took on a horse-headed body (Hayagrīva), killed two Dānava demons, and then manifested that same form again with the intention of promoting pravṛtti-dharma—reviving the world’s commitment to rightful conduct and duty.