Varaha Purana 21.5: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 5
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari–Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
सर्गकालेषु तं ब्रह्मा तपसा प्रत्युवाच ह । रुद्र प्रजाः सृजस्वेति पौनःपुन्येन चोदितः । असमर्थोऽहमिति जले निमज्जत महाबलः ॥ २१.६ ॥
sargakāleṣu taṁ brahmā tapasā pratyuvāca ha | rudra prajāḥ sṛjasveti paunaḥpunyena coditaḥ | asamartho 'ham iti jale nimajjata mahābalaḥ || 21.6 ||
സർഗകാലങ്ങളിൽ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് തപോബലത്തോടെ അവനോട്—“രുദ്രാ, പ്രജകളെ സൃഷ്ടിക്ക” എന്നു വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ചൊല്ലി. ആവർത്തിച്ച് പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ട ആ മഹാബലൻ “ഞാൻ അസമർത്ഥൻ” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു ജലത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി.
Varāha (default framework; speaker not explicit in fragment)
FAQs
It reflects a common Purāṇic cosmogonic motif: the delegation of creation tasks among deities and the use of tapas (ascetic potency) as an authoritative force in narrative cosmology.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it is set in a mythic-cosmic context (“times of creation”) rather than a terrestrial sacred geography frame.
The verse foregrounds responsibility and capacity in delegated action: when urged to undertake creation, the figure expresses incapacity, highlighting the tension between command and competence within cosmological order.
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