Varaha Purana 25.9 — Adhyaya 25, Shloka 9
The Birth of Ahaṅkāra as Guha/Skanda and His Appointment as Divine Commander
दैत्यानां बलिनः सन्ति नायका युद्धदुर्मदाः । हिरण्यकशिपुः पूर्वं हिरण्याक्षो महाबलः । विप्रचित्तिर्विचित्तिश्च भीमाक्षः क्रौञ्च एव च ॥ २५.९ ॥
daityānāṁ balinaḥ santi nāyakā yuddha-durmadāḥ | hiraṇyakaśipuḥ pūrvaṁ hiraṇyākṣo mahābalaḥ | vipracittir vicittiś ca bhīmākṣaḥ krauñca eva ca || 25.9 ||
ദൈത്യന്മാരിൽ യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ദുർമദരായ ശക്തനായ നായകർ ഉണ്ട്—ആദ്യം ഹിരണ്യകശിപു, പിന്നെ മഹാബലനായ ഹിരണ്യാക്ഷ; കൂടാതെ വിപ്രചിത്തി, വിചിത്തി, ഭീമാക്ഷ, ക്രൗഞ്ചനും.
Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in fragment)
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":"instructor","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":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"mythic-ethical typology","core_concept":"Unchecked strength joined with battle-arrogance (durmada) becomes a destabilizing force in the cosmos.","practical_application":"Treat power without humility as a warning-sign; align strength with counsel, restraint, and dharma."}
Subject Matter: ["Mythic Genealogy","Conflict Narratives","Puranic Catalogues"]
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Type: mythic genealogy register (cosmic)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: subsequent Hiraṇyākṣa episodes leading to Earth’s submergence/rescue (contextual foreshadowing)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A roll-call tableau of Daitya commanders—each introduced with distinctive martial bearing, suggesting their reputations and looming threat.","item_prompts":["six asura leaders in sequence","distinct crowns/helmets","weapons (mace, bow, sword)","inscribed name-banners","dark, imposing palette contrasted with divine light"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: six asura figures in a frieze, ornate but fierce faces, heavy jewelry, saturated reds/ochres, each holding a different weapon.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: iconic portrait-like panels of each Daitya with gold-leaf ornaments, embossed halos (darkened), rich brocade textures.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: elegant individualized faces, nuanced expressions of arrogance, fine detailing of armor and textiles.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: narrative strip with labeled figures, stylized weapons, dramatic but delicate rendering, cool background washes."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"ominous-cataloguing, heroic","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"grave, emphatic on proper names and epithets"}
FAQs
The verse functions as a Purāṇic catalogue naming prominent Daitya figures, reflecting a common compositional technique used to preserve mythic lineages and narrative memory across recensions.
No explicit geographic location is named in this verse; it is primarily an onomastic (name-list) passage.
Rather than a direct moral injunction, the verse characterizes martial arrogance (yuddha-durmadāḥ) as a defining trait of these figures, providing a narrative contrast often used in Purāṇic discourse on power and conduct.
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.