Varaha Purana 163.42 — Adhyaya 163, Shloka 42

The Greatness of Kapila-Varāha: The Efficacy of Vaikuṇṭha Tīrtha and the Installation History of the Varāha Image

Devanagari script

अयोध्याधिपती रामो हन्तुं राक्षसपुङ्गवम् ॥ गतोऽसौ विक्रमेणैव हत्त्वा राक्षसपुङ्गवम्

Transliteration

ayodhyādhipatī rāmo hantuṃ rākṣasapuṅgavam || gato 'sau vikrameṇaiva hatvā rākṣasapuṅgavam

Translation

Rāma, penguasa Ayodhyā, berangkat untuk membunuh pemuka para rākṣasa. Dengan keberanian semata-mata, baginda pergi dan menewaskan pemuka rākṣasa itu.

Word by Word

• ayodhyā-adhipatiḥ: the lord of Ayodhyā
• ayodhyā-adhipatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayodhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः = 'lord of Ayodhyā'

• rāmaḥ: Rāma
• rāmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to ayodhyā-adhipatiḥ

• hantum: to kill
• hantum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्), avyaya; purpose (प्रयोजन)

• rākṣasa-puṅgavam: the chief of the rākṣasas
• rākṣasa-puṅgavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक) + puṅgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-भावः = 'chief among rākṣasas'

• gataḥ: went
• gataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate with asau

• asau: he
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• vikrameṇa: by valor/stride
• vikrameṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निपात)

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: han (धातु) → hatvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), avyaya; 'having killed'

• rākṣasa-puṅgavam: the chief of the rākṣasas
• rākṣasa-puṅgavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक) + puṅgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; repeated object

Speaker

Narrator (default framework: Varāha as instructor)

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":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"A righteous king protects the world by confronting and destroying violent adharma embodied in tyrannical aggressors.","karmic_consequence":"Upholding protection-duty yields fame and stability of realms; failure to restrain adharma leads to disorder and suffering for subjects."}

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":"dharma-of-protection","core_concept":"Kṣātra-dharma: decisive action against oppression is itself a form of dharma when aimed at restoring cosmic and social order.","practical_application":"When entrusted with responsibility, act firmly against harm and injustice; courage is ethical when yoked to protection, not conquest."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Epic Reception","Kingship and Warfare","Mythic-Historical Memory"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Geographic Context

Type: epic_geography

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 163.47-48 (post-war coronation; Rāma’s refusal of wealth and request for the guardian)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Rāma, the Ayodhyā sovereign, advances with martial resolve and defeats the rākṣasa champion; the verse compresses departure and victory into a single heroic tableau.","item_prompts":["Rāma with bow","battlefield backdrop (Laṅkā outskirts)","fallen rākṣasa leader","dynamic stride/charge","bannered armies or vanara silhouettes"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: bold heroic stance of Rāma, stylized weaponry, rhythmic battle composition, saturated reds/ochres for raudra-vīra blend.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic Rāma with gold ornaments and halo, bow drawn; simplified battlefield; embossed highlights on weapons and crown.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant Rāma figure, nuanced expression, detailed bowstring and quiver, atmospheric battlefield haze.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative miniature with multiple registers (departure and victory), crisp lines, expressive faces, mountainous cloud motifs stylizing distance."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"martial and triumphant","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"firm, resonant"}

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Rāmāyaṇa Tradition
• Political Theology (Kingship)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It demonstrates Purāṇic condensation of the Rāmāyaṇa storyline, helpful for mapping how later texts summarize and repurpose epic events.

Which geographic location is identified?

Ayodhyā, a major cultural-heritage toponym in North Indian historical and literary geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds the ideal of decisive action by a ruler against destructive leadership, framed as restoration of order.