Varaha Purana 21.81: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 81

The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari–Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा तदा दक्षस्तां कन्यां ब्रह्मसन्निधौ । ददौ रुद्राय महते गौरीं परमशोभनाम् ॥ २१.८२ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 21.81

Transliteration

evam uktvā tadā dakṣas tāṃ kanyāṃ brahmasannidhau | dadau rudrāya mahate gaurīṃ paramaśobhanām || 21.82 ||

Translation

Сказав так, Дакша в присутствии Брахмы отдал ту деву — Гаури, сияющую высшей красотой, — великому Рудре.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), manner-adverb (प्रकारवाचक)

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √vac (वच्)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), time-adverb (कालवाचक)

• dakṣaḥ: Dakṣa
• dakṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन)

• tām: her / that
• tām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); pronoun referring to the girl

• kanyām: the maiden/daughter
• kanyām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन)

• brahma-sannidhau: in Brahmā’s presence
• brahma-sannidhau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + sannidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी) Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘in the presence of Brahmā’

• dadau: gave
• dadau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Singular (एकवचन), parasmaipada; from √dā (दा)

• rudrāya: to Rudra
• rudrāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (चतुर्थी) Singular (एकवचन)

• mahate: to the great (one)
• mahate: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (चतुर्थी) Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying ‘rudrāya’

• gaurīm: Gaurī
• gaurīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); apposition to ‘kanyām’

• parama-śobhanām: most beautiful
• parama-śobhanām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + śobhanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: ‘supremely beautiful’; qualifies ‘gaurīm/kanyām’

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in fragment)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava Shared Traditions
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic narrative motif in which a formal marriage-gift (kanyādāna) is performed publicly, here explicitly “in the presence of Brahmā,” reflecting how Purāṇas frame social rites through mythic authority figures.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic toponym appears in this verse; the setting is indicated only as brahmasannidhau (“in Brahmā’s presence”), a narrative/ritual context rather than a place-name.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse primarily conveys a cultural-ritual principle: the conferral of a marriage alliance is portrayed as a formally witnessed act, emphasizing public legitimacy and accountability in social rites.