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Varaha Purana 197.19 — Adhyaya 197, Shloka 19

The Division of the Gates of Yama’s City and the Description of the Tribunal Hall

तेजसा वचसा चैव दुर्निरीक्ष्यो महाबलः ॥ एकस्थमिव सर्वेषां तेजस्तेजस्विनां तदा ॥

tejasā vacasā caiva durnirīkṣyo mahābalaḥ || ekastham iva sarveṣāṃ tejas tejasvināṃ tadā ||

Сиянием и речью он был труден для взора, обладая великой силой; тогда блеск всех сияющих казался собранным как бы в одном едином средоточии.

तेजसाby splendor/energy
तेजसा:
Karana (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootतेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन
वचसाby speech/word
वचसा:
Karana (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootवचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन
and
:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक
एवindeed/also
एव:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अवधारण-निपात
दुर्निरीक्ष्यःhard to behold
दुर्निरीक्ष्यः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootदुर् + निरीक्ष्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ईक्ष् धातु, तुमुन्/यत्?; प्रयोगे: 'निरीक्ष्य' = to be looked at; here adjectival)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (gerundive/योग्यतार्थक: 'hard to look at'); उपसर्ग: दुर्- (difficult)
महाबलःthe mighty one
महाबलः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootमहाबल (प्रातिपदिक: महा + बल)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् बलः यस्य/महाबलः)
एकस्थम्as being in one place
एकस्थम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootएकस्थ (प्रातिपदिक: एक + स्थ)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (एकस्मिन् स्थाने स्थितम् = situated in one place); उपमान-प्रयोगे (as if)
इवas if/like
इव:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; उपमानवाचक-निपात (comparative particle)
सर्वेषाम्of all
सर्वेषाम्:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
TypeNoun
Rootसर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन
तेजःsplendor
तेजः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
तेजस्विनाम्of the radiant ones
तेजस्विनाम्:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
TypeNoun
Rootतेजस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; गुणवाचक-नाम (of the radiant ones)
तदाthen
तदा:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Varāha (default framework; speaker not explicit in fragment)

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","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":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The verse presents a ‘condensation of tejas’: the presiding divine presence concentrates the scattered splendors of all luminous beings into one locus, suggesting the Supreme as the source and sum of all powers.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Not explicit as Yajña-Varāha anatomy; the ‘tejas of the tejasvins gathered into one’ functions as a cosmic-ritual convergence motif (many fires into one sacrificial fire).","vedantic_connection":"Supports a Vedāntic reading of īśvara as the adhiṣṭhāna (ground) of all brilliance and speech-power (vāk/śakti), with other ‘tejas’ as dependent manifestations."}

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"theology of divine sovereignty","core_concept":"All excellence—radiance (tejas) and authoritative speech (vacas)—derives from and is unified in the Supreme presence; multiplicity of powers is secondary.","practical_application":"Cultivate humility before sources of wisdom; align one’s speech with dharma, recognizing vāk as a power that should reflect the higher order."}

Subject Matter: ["Cosmology","Aesthetics of Power","Ethics"]

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vīra

Type: transcendent sabhā

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 197.22 (ṛṣis shining beside him)

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A central, overpoweringly radiant figure whose brilliance and commanding speech make him ‘hard to behold’; surrounding luminaries appear dim, their lights visually drawn into him like streams into a sun.","item_prompts":["central aura expanding outward","surrounding devas/ṛṣis with smaller halos","visual ‘light-rays’ converging into one point","gesture of authoritative speech (teaching/command mudrā)","high-contrast chiaroscuro to show ‘durnirīkṣya’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: large circular prabhāmaṇḍala around the central deity; surrounding figures in orderly tiers; strong outlines and saturated earth colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavy gold-leaf aura and embossed rays; central figure dominant; smaller gilded halos for attendants; jewel-toned background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant gradation of light; refined facial features; luminous aura with subtle gold accents; balanced symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic radiance with soft washes; central sun-like halo; attendants rendered smaller, gazing with reverence."}

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"majestic, awe-struck","suggested_raga":"Tōḍi (or Bhairavi for grandeur)","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"resonant, elevated, with heightened emphasis on ‘tejasā vacasā’ and ‘ekastham iva’"}

P
Purāṇic Literature
S
Sanskrit Cosmology
R
Royal/Divine Iconography
C
Classical Sanskrit

FAQs

It uses the idiom of tejas (radiant potency) to convey authority and charisma, a common Sanskrit aesthetic for legitimate power in epic–Purāṇic literature.

No geographic location is mentioned; the verse is descriptive of a person’s presence within a cosmic assembly.

The verse indirectly frames authority as grounded in disciplined presence—radiance (tejas) and measured speech (vacas)—rather than coercion alone.

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