Varaha Purana 92.29: Adhyaya 92, Shloka 29

The Demon King’s Council Deliberation and the Mobilization of an Army to Conquer the Devas

Pūrva Bhāga · Direct speech—Mahiṣa speaks of the maiden and the Deva leader

Devanagari script

महिष उवाच । मह्यं तु कथिता बाला नारदेन महर्षिणा । सा चाजित्य सुराध्यक्षं न लभ्येत वराङ्गना ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 92.29

Transliteration

mahiṣa uvāca | mahyaṃ tu kathitā bālā nāradena maharṣiṇā | sā cājitya surādhyakṣaṃ na labhyeta varāṅganā ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Mahiṣa bersabda: “Maharsi Nārada telah menceritakan kepadaku tentang seorang gadis; dan wanita yang unggul itu—kerana telah menewaskan pemimpin para Deva—tidak dapat diperoleh dengan cara biasa.”

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• mahiṣaḥ: Mahiṣa
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Nominative Singular
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: mahiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• uvāca: said
• Type: Verb
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person Singular
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: vac (धातु)

• mahyam: to me
• Type: Noun
• Form: Pronoun, Dative (चतुर्थी) Singular
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/चतुर्थी)
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)

• tu: but / indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis
• Role: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• kathitā: was told
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kṛdanta: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Feminine Nominative Singular; predicate with bālā
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया) (passive predicate)
• Root: kath (धातु)

• bālā: the maiden
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine, Nominative Singular
• Role: Karta (कर्ता) (of passive)
• Root: bālā (प्रातिपदिक)

• nāradena: by Nārada
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental Singular
• Role: Karaṇa (करण/तृतीया)
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)

• maharṣiṇā: by the great sage
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental Singular; apposition to nāradena
• Role: Karaṇa (करण/तृतीया)
• Root: maharṣi (प्रातिपदिक)

• sā: she
• Type: Noun
• Form: Sarvanāma, Feminine, Nominative Singular
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Role: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Root: ca (अव्यय)

• ajitya: without conquering
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्) from √ji with negation a-; indeclinable; ‘without conquering’
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Root: a + ji (धातु)

• sura-adhyakṣam: the lord of the gods
• Type: Noun
• Form: Tatpuruṣa ‘overseer/lord of the gods’ (Indra); Masculine Accusative Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म/द्वितीया)
• Root: sura + adhyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)
• Role: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Root: na (अव्यय)

• labhyeta: would be obtained
• Type: Verb
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Passive (कर्मणि), 3rd person Singular
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: labh (धातु)

• vara-aṅganā: the excellent lady
• Type: Noun
• Form: Karmadhāraya ‘excellent woman’; Feminine Nominative Singular; apposition to sā/bālā
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: vara + aṅganā (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• cājitya = ca + ajitya
• surādhyakṣam = sura-adhyakṣam
• varāṅganā = vara-aṅganā

Speaker and setting

Raudra and Vira rasaSetting: Royal court/assembly hall

Speaker

Mahiṣa

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Theology of Śakti and limits of force

Subjects

Character speechMotif of an unconquerable maidenConflict escalation premise

Core idea

What is ‘unconquerable’ by the devas is not merely a stronger being but a different ontological category—divine power that cannot be reduced to an attainable prize.

In practice

Recognize domains where coercion fails (ethics, devotion, truth); cultivate humility and right means rather than escalation.

Symbolism of the boar

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Mythic Narrative
• Gendered Motifs in Sanskrit Literature
• Classical Sanskrit

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a common Purāṇic narrative device: a sage’s report (Nārada) establishing an extraordinary figure whose attainment becomes the plot’s impetus.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is identified in this verse.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

No explicit ethical instruction is stated; the verse sets up a narrative tension around desire, power, and exceptional agency.