Varaha Purana 94.28 — Adhyaya 94, Shloka 28

The Birth of Mahiṣāsura and the Goddess’s Victory as Mahīṣamardinī

Devanagari script

तावद् दैत्यबलं सर्वं मुक्त्वा देवचमूं द्रुतम् । आययौ यत्र तद् देव्याः सन्नद्धं स्त्रीबलं महत् ॥

Transliteration

tāvad daityabalaṃ sarvaṃ muktvā devacamūṃ drutam | āyayau yatra tad devyāḥ sannaddhaṃ strībalaṃ mahat ||

Translation

Entretanto, todo el ejército de los asuras, abandonando con rapidez el ejército de los dioses, llegó adonde estaba preparada la gran fuerza de mujeres de la Diosa, plenamente armada.

Word by Word

• tāvat: meanwhile/so long
• tāvat: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; temporal/limit particle (तावदर्थ)

• daitya-balam: the demon-force
• daitya-balam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘the demons’ army/force’

• sarvam: all/entire
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifies ‘daitya-balam’

• muktvā: having left
• muktvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक ‘having left/released’

• deva-camūm: the army of the gods
• deva-camūm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + camū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘the gods’ army’

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative) ‘quickly’

• āyayau: came/arrived
• āyayau: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; relative adverb (देशवाचक)

• tat: there/that
• tat: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; correlates with ‘yatra’ (tad = there/that place)

• devyāḥ: of the goddess
• devyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• sannaddham: armed/ready
• sannaddham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-√nah (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP) ‘armed/equipped’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifies ‘strībalaṃ’

• strī-balam: the women’s force
• strī-balam: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘women’s force’

• mahat: great/large
• mahat: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifies ‘strī-balam’

Speaker

Varāha (default narrative frame)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"Strategic discernment (dharma-yuddha realism)","core_concept":"Adharma seeks the perceived weak point; preparedness and positioning prevent panic and enable protection.","practical_application":"Anticipate shifts in opposition; maintain readiness where the threat will actually arrive, not where it was."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Battlefield movement","Military encounter","Narrative escalation"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: Vīra

Secondary Rasa: Bhayānaka

Geographic Context

Type: battlefield approach/advance route

Cross References

Related Themes: 94.94.33 (women’s force stands armed); 94.94.35 (battle and swift defeat)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The demon army, leaving the gods’ troops, surges toward the Goddess’s great armed women’s force standing ready.","item_prompts":["mass demon host in motion","deva army left behind in distance","foreground: armed women’s battalion in firm stance","dust clouds, banners, drums implied"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: two opposing masses; demons as darker palette; women warriors as bright, ordered line; strong diagonals showing advance.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: layered depth with gold-highlighted banners; demon host crowded; central gleaming line of women warriors before the Goddess’s aura.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: cinematic perspective; detailed ranks; subtle dust haze; tension through posture and spacing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: rolling movement of figures; stylized clouds of dust; expressive demon faces; calm steadfast defenders."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"Tense, anticipatory","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"grave, building intensity"}

Tags

• Purāṇic Narrative
• Military Description
• Classical Sanskrit Literature

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates conventional Sanskrit battle narration: the shift of an army’s focus and the convergence toward a newly formed opposing force.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit geographic marker is given; the narrative remains within a generalized battlefield setting.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse implicitly highlights readiness and collective defense as responses to aggression, without prescribing broader social norms.