Varaha Purana 11.90: Adhyaya 11, Shloka 90

Hospitality at Gauramukha’s Hermitage and the Power of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel

Devanagari script

एते पञ्चदश श्रेष्ठा असुराः परमायुधाः । अक्षौहिणीपरिवार एकैकोऽत्र पृथक्पृथक् ॥ ११.९१ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 11.90

Transliteration

ete pañcadaśa śreṣṭhā asurāḥ paramāyudhāḥ | akṣauhiṇīparivāra ekaiko ’tra pṛthakpṛthak || 11.91 ||

Translation

ఈ పదిహేను శ్రేష్ఠ అసురులు పరమాయుధాలతో సన్నద్ధులు; ఇక్కడ ప్రతి ఒక్కరికీ విడివిడిగా ఒకొక్క అక్షౌహిణీ సేన పరివారంగా ఉంది.

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Word by Word

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) बहुवचनम्; demonstrative adjective/pronoun used adjectivally

• pañcadaśa: fifteen
• pañcadaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम्; अव्ययवत्/अविकारी संख्याशब्दः; बहुवचन-सम्बन्धे (agreeing with plural noun)

• śreṣṭhāḥ: excellent, foremost
• śreṣṭhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) बहुवचनम्; superlative/qualificative adjective

• asurāḥ: asuras, demons
• asurāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) बहुवचनम्

• paramāyudhāḥ: having supreme weapons
• paramāyudhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama + āyudha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) बहुवचनम्; कर्मधारयः—‘परमम् आयुधं येषाम्/परमायुधाः’ (having supreme weapons)

• akṣauhiṇī-parivāraḥ: an akṣauhiṇī as (his) retinue
• akṣauhiṇī-parivāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣauhiṇī + parivāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘अक्षौहिण्याः परिवारः’ (retinue consisting of an akṣauhiṇī)

• ekaḥ: one (each)
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्; distributive with following ‘ekaḥ’

• ekaḥ: one (each)
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्; repetition for distributive sense (each one)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• pṛthak: separately
• pṛthak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb); repeated for emphasis

• pṛthak: each separately
• pṛthak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb); emphatic repetition

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves an epic-style trope of enumerating forces and commanders, using the technical term akṣauhiṇī to convey scale and organization in classical Indic war-narrative literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it focuses on describing the number and military scale of the asura leaders and their retinues.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive; its philosophical function is to frame the magnitude of conflict through formal enumeration rather than to issue a direct ethical injunction.