Varaha Purana 201.56: Adhyaya 201, Shloka 56
The Battle between the Rākṣasas and Yama’s Attendant-Messengers
परित्रायस्व नो वीर किंकराणां महाबलान् ॥ हन्यमानान्हि रक्षोभिरस्मानद्य रणाजिरे ॥
paritrāyasva no vīra kiṃkarāṇāṃ mahābalān || hanyamānān hi rakṣobhir asmān adya raṇājire
Protege-nos, ó herói—nós, os servidores de grande força—pois hoje, no campo de batalha, estamos sendo abatidos pelos rākṣasas.
Attendants (kiṃkarāḥ) addressing a powerful figure (speaker inferred from direct plea)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"devotee","key_question":"How can we be protected from the rākṣasas who are striking us down on the battlefield today?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"śaraṇāgati (refuge) and dharma-protection","core_concept":"In crisis, the righteous seek protection from a higher authority; protection of dependents is a mark of true vīrya and dharma.","practical_application":"Cultivate refuge in dharmic authority (īśvara/guru/just ruler) and protect those under one’s care when they are oppressed."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Conflict narrative","Afterlife jurisprudence"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: battlefield
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa: Naraka-daṇḍa/afterlife-administration sequence around Citragupta–Yama
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Wounded or beleaguered attendants on a battlefield, hands raised in supplication, calling out to a heroic protector while rākṣasas press the attack.","item_prompts":["terrified attendants (kiṃkarāḥ)","rākṣasas attacking","dusty battlefield","raised hands in prayer","weapons scattered","a distant heroic figure as refuge"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: crowded battlefield tableau, expressive eyes, attendants in añjali, rākṣasas with stylized fierce faces, earthy reds/ochres, flat decorative composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: central heroic protector with halo (even if off-verse), gold-leaf accents on armor and ornaments, attendants kneeling at the base, rākṣasas in darker tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined linework, soft shading, attendants pleading with delicate gestures, dynamic but elegant battle scene.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: sloping ground and minimal background, lyrical depiction of fear and supplication, rākṣasas simplified, emphasis on narrative clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"urgent supplication","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"strained, pleading, rising intensity on the vocative (vīra)."}
FAQs
It illustrates a common epic-Purāṇic motif: subordinates petitioning protection amid conflict, used to transition into moral-judicial explanations.
No specific location is identified; the term raṇājira indicates a generic battle-ground setting.
The verse foregrounds vulnerability and the appeal to protection, a narrative prelude to discussions of rightful order and consequences.
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