Varaha Purana 21.56: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 56

The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share

Pūrva Bhāga · Pr̥thivī-uddhāra / Deva-asura narrative frame (cosmic contest motifs)

Devanagari script

एवं तौ स्पर्धिनावस्त्रौ रौद्रनारायणात्मकौ । अन्योऽन्यातिशयोपेतौ तदालोक्य पितामहः ॥ २१.५७ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 21.56

Transliteration

evaṃ tau spardhināv astrāv raudra-nārāyaṇātmakau | anyo'nya-atiśayopetau tad ālokya pitāmahaḥ || 21.57 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

दोनों टक्कर में थे, एक रुद्र की ताकत का रूप, दूसरा नारायण की ताकत का। दोनों एक दूसरे से बड़े दिख रहे थे। ब्रह्मा ने यह देखा।

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Word by Word

• evam: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय; manner adverb (प्रकारवाचक)
• Role: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Root: evam (अव्यय)

• tau: those two
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• spardhinau: competing
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘rivalrous/competing’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: spardhin (प्रातिपदिक)

• astrau: weapons
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: astra (प्रातिपदिक)

• raudra-nārāyaṇātmakau: of Rudra-and-Nārāyaṇa nature
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘having the nature of Rudra and Nārāyaṇa’
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: raudra + nārāyaṇa + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)

• anyo'nya-atiśayopetau: each endowed with the other’s excellence
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; compound with mutuality ‘each endowed with the other’s superiority/excellence’ (अन्योन्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: anya + anya + atiśaya + upeta (प्रातिपदिक)

• tat: that
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; pronoun used as object ‘that (sight/event)’
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ālokya: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund); ‘having seen’
• Role: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: ā-lok (धातु)

• pitāmahaḥ: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• anyo'nya- = anyo anya (o + a sandhi)
• tad ālokya remains separate
• raudra-nārāyaṇātmakau is a multi-member tatpuruṣa

Speaker and setting

Raudra and Adbhuta rasaSetting: Mythic-ritual site

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Theology of śakti and cosmic governance

Subjects

CosmologyMythic conflict narrativeTheology (comparative divine powers)

Core idea

Even supreme powers (Rudra/Nārāyaṇa) manifest as regulated forces within a larger dharmic-cosmic administration; superiority contests are resolved by higher-order harmony.

In practice

Treat competing authorities/energies as complementary; seek a regulating principle (dharma, counsel, mediation) before escalation.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava Intertext

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative technique: dramatizing cosmic balance through competing divine forces, with Brahmā (Pitāmaha) positioned as an overseeing authority within the mythic historiography of Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is situated in a cosmological-narrative setting rather than a sacred-topographical (tīrtha) description.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Rather than a direct ethical injunction, the verse underscores a philosophical theme of equilibrium: even supreme powers can appear mutually surpassing, inviting reflection on restraint and the need for mediation in conflict.