Varaha Purana 94.37 — Adhyaya 94, Shloka 37
The Birth of Mahiṣāsura and the Goddess’s Victory as Mahīṣamardinī
धनुः खङ्गं तथा शक्तिं शरान् शूलं गदां तथा । परशुं डमरुं चैव तथा घण्टां विशालिनीम् । शतघ्नीं मुद्गरं घोरं भुशुण्डीं कुन्तमेव च ॥
dhanuḥ khaṅgaṃ tathā śaktiṃ śarān śūlaṃ gadāṃ tathā | paraśuṃ ḍamaruṃ caiva tathā ghaṇṭāṃ viśālinīm | śataghnīṃ mudgaraṃ ghoraṃ bhuśuṇḍīṃ kuntameva ca ||
She bore a bow, a sword, a spear, arrows, a trident, and a mace; an axe, a ḍamaru-drum, and also a great bell; a śataghnī weapon, a formidable hammer, a bhuśuṇḍī, and a javelin as well.
Varāha (default narrative frame)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The weapon-catalog functions like a cosmological inventory: Devī embodies the totality of protective powers (āyudha-śakti), each implement corresponding to a mode of restraint, severance, awakening, or proclamation of dharma.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Ritual resonance: bell (ghaṇṭā) and ḍamaru mark sacred time/sound; trident and axe signify cutting ignorance/adharma; bow-arrows as focused intention; mace/hammer as crushing arrogance—like yajña implements enforcing order.","vedantic_connection":"Multiplicity of instruments points to one śakti operating through many upāyas (means); the list externalizes inner disciplines: discrimination (khadga), concentration (dhanuḥ), and transformative force (śūla/gadā)."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Symbolic sādhanā mapping","core_concept":"Divine protection is not singular; it manifests as many precise capacities—sound, restraint, piercing insight, and decisive action.","practical_application":"In adversity, apply the right ‘tool’: restraint (pāśa-like boundaries), clarity (khadga-like discernment), steady effort (gadā-like perseverance), and sacred remembrance (ghaṇṭā/ḍamaru-like mantra rhythm)."}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Ethics","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: Vira
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Type: battlefield (unspecified)
Related Themes: VP 94.94.43 (completion of twenty implements); VP 94.94.44 (lion mount; Rudra remembrance)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Close, iconic view of the twenty-armed Devī’s hands displaying a formidable array of weapons and ritual-sound instruments.","item_prompts":["bow and arrows","sword","śakti spear","trident","mace","axe","ḍamaru","large bell","śataghnī","mudgara hammer","bhuśuṇḍī","kunta javelin","hands fanned symmetrically"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: symmetrical fan of arms with clearly differentiated weapons; bold outlines; patterned textiles; bell and ḍamaru emphasized with rhythmic motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: each weapon rendered with metallic sheen; gold-leaf on bell, sword, trident; Devī as central icon with ornate arch.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: delicate detailing of weapon forms; soft gradients; emphasis on craftsmanship and clarity of each implement.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: stylized, simplified weapon silhouettes; elegant arm arcs; decorative border; narrative caption-like clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"martial litany / enumerative grandeur","suggested_raga":"Kambhoji","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"measured, emphatic on each item"}
FAQs
Such catalogues preserve technical and cultural vocabulary for weapons and ritual objects (e.g., ghaṇṭā, ḍamaru), useful for comparative study with art history and dharma/ritual literature.
No geographic location is specified in this weapons-catalogue verse.
The narrative frames weaponry as protective capacity marshaled for restoring order, rather than as celebration of violence for its own sake.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.