Varaha Purana 25.18 — Adhyaya 25, Shloka 18

The Birth of Ahaṅkāra as Guha/Skanda and His Appointment as Divine Commander

Devanagari script

जटाकलापाग्रशशाङ्कदीधिति-प्रकाशिताशेषजगत्त्रयामल । त्रिशूलपाणे पुरुषोत्तमाच्युत प्रपाहि दैत्याच्च जगत्त्रयोदरे ॥ २५.१८ ॥

Transliteration

jaṭākalāpāgraśaśāṅkadīdhiti-prakāśitāśeṣajagattrayāmala | triśūlapāṇe puruṣottamācyuta prapāhi daityāc ca jagattrayodare || 25.18 ||

Translation

ത്രിശൂലപാണി പുരുഷോത്തമ അച്യുതാ! നിന്റെ ജടാകലാപത്തിന്റെ ശിഖരത്തിലെ ചന്ദ്രകാന്തി പ്രകാശിച്ച്, നിന്റെ തേജസ്സാൽ ത്രിലോകവും നിർമലമാകുന്നു; ത്രിലോകഗർഭത്തിൽ ഉള്ള ദൈത്യനിൽ നിന്ന് ഞങ്ങളെ രക്ഷിക്കണമേ।

Word by Word

• jaṭā-kalāpa-agra-śaśāṅka-dīdhiti-prakāśita-aśeṣa-jagat-traya-amala: O one who purifies/illumines the entire three worlds by the moonlight at the crest of your matted locks
• jaṭā-kalāpa-agra-śaśāṅka-dīdhiti-prakāśita-aśeṣa-jagat-traya-amala: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṭā (प्रातिपदिक) + kalāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + śaśāṅka (प्रातिपदिक) + dīdhiti (प्रातिपदिक) + prakāśita (कृदन्त, √kāś) + aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक) + amala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi epithet: ‘he whose (aśeṣa) world-triad is made spotless/bright by the moon-ray light at the tip of the matted-hair cluster’

• triśūla-pāṇe: O trident-handed one
• triśūla-pāṇe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: triśūla (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular; bahuvrīhi: yasya pāṇau triśūlam

• puruṣottama: O Supreme Person
• puruṣottama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular; karmadhāraya: uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ

• acyuta: O Acyuta (the infallible one)
• acyuta: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular

• prapāhi: protect (completely)
• prapāhi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्) with preverb pra- (प्र), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada

• daityāt: from the demon
• daityāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (पञ्चमी/5), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• jagat-traya-udare: O one in whose belly are the three worlds
• jagat-traya-udare: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक) + udara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular; bahuvrīhi: yasya udare jagat-trayam

Speaker

Pṛthivī (default, within Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","bhu_devi_state":"threatened and seeking refuge; protective urgency amid daitya-fear","key_question":"How will the Lord protect the worlds (and Earth) from the daitya who endangers the cosmic order?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology (protective monotheism with shared iconography)","core_concept":"The supreme protector transcends sectarian markers (triśūla, jaṭā, candra) while remaining Puruṣottama/Acyuta.","practical_application":"In danger, take śaraṇāgati: invoke the Lord’s protective aspect and contemplate his purifying light as removing inner/outer fear."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Protective Invocation","Mythic Conflict","Sacred Iconography"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic realm

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha–Pṛthivī protective stutis in the same adhyāya sequence (25.25.18–22)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Pṛthivī, distressed, offers a fervent protective hymn to a trident-bearing, moon-crested, matted-haired supreme deity whose radiance washes over the three worlds, while a looming daitya threatens from within the cosmic expanse.","item_prompts":["Pṛthivī as goddess with green/earth tones","deity with jaṭā and crescent moon at the crest","triśūla in hand","aura/light purifying three-tiered cosmos","shadowy daitya presence","cosmic ‘womb’/interior space motif"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, flat luminous colors; moon in jaṭā, triśūla prominent; Pṛthivī in añjali; triloka shown as three horizontal bands bathed in white-gold radiance; daitya as dark red/black silhouette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central deity with heavy gold-leaf halo and triśūla; crescent moon in jaṭā rendered in silver-white; Pṛthivī smaller at feet; three-worlds suggested by gold-embossed tiers; daitya subdued at margin.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: delicate shading, refined jewelry; soft moonlight on jaṭā; triśūla gleaming; atmospheric cosmic background with subtle gradation; Pṛthivī’s anxious gaze upward.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical landscape-cosmos hybrid; deity on a cloud-throne with crescent in hair; Pṛthivī in prayer; triloka as layered hills/realms; daitya peering from a cavern-like cosmic belly."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"urgent protective supplication","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"firm, resonant, slightly heightened intensity on ‘prapāhi’ and epithets"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Śaiva Iconography (triśūla motif)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It exemplifies Purāṇic hymn-style diction (stuti/śaraṇāgati) embedded within narrative, using established epic-era cosmological vocabulary (jagattraya) and iconographic markers to frame divine protection in the context of mythic threat.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific terrestrial site is named in this verse; the setting is expressed cosmologically as the ‘three worlds’ (jagattraya) and metaphorically as their ‘interior/womb’ (udara).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds a philosophical posture of seeking protection against destructive forces, articulated through the ideal of a stabilizing, world-preserving agency that maintains cosmic order and purity.