Varaha Purana 201.13 — Adhyaya 201, Shloka 13
The Battle between the Rākṣasas and Yama’s Attendant-Messengers
एवं हत्वा च बद्ध्वा च ह्यागच्छत पुनर्यथा ॥ हन्तारः सर्वभूतानां कृतज्ञा दृढ विक्रमा ॥
evaṃ hatvā ca baddhvā ca hy āgacchata punar yathā || hantāraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ kṛtajñā dṛḍha vikramā ||
“ఇలా సంహరించి బంధించి, మునుపటిలాగే మళ్లీ రండి—మీరు సమస్త భూతాల సంహారకులు, కృతజ్ఞులు, దృఢ పరాక్రములు.”
Citragupta
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"rajaniti","instruction_summary":"Enforcement agents are instructed to execute punitive tasks (slay/bind) and return—depicting delegated violence under administrative command.","karmic_consequence":"If punishment is dharmically warranted, agents act as instruments of cosmic law; if indiscriminate (“killers of all beings”), it signals adharma and severe karmic fallout."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma vs. violence discernment","core_concept":"Delegated force must be bounded by discrimination (viveka); otherwise duty hardens into cruelty.","practical_application":"Before carrying out harsh measures, confirm scope and limits; cultivate compassion and proportionality even in correction."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Governance"]
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: liminal enforcement corridor / battlefield-like punitive space
Related Themes: Varaha Purana: sequence of commands and the agents’ reply (201.12–201.16)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grim dispatch: rakshasa-enforcers armed and ready, some holding bound captives, others with weapons; Citragupta’s command hangs over them as they depart and return in a cycle.","item_prompts":["rakshasa captains","weapons (mace/spear)","bound captives","gesture of dismissal/return","dusty path or dark corridor","stern administrative seal/insignia"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: procession of enforcers with rhythmic repetition, bold outlines, dark background, captives bound with clear rope motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: iconic grouping—Citragupta above/center, enforcers below; gold-leaf accents on weapons and ornaments; captives in subdued tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: narrative realism; careful depiction of fetters and expressions; subdued palette emphasizing dread.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: sequential storytelling in one frame—departure and return shown as two vignettes; delicate line, expressive fear in captives."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grim, procedural, ominous","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"low, stern, unornamented"}
FAQs
The verse shows how Purāṇic texts encode models of punitive authority, combining coercion with institutional duty in a mythic administrative frame.
No geographic location is mentioned.
It frames retribution and restraint as tools of governance, while also raising ethical tension by labeling agents as “killers of all beings,” inviting scrutiny of violence within order-making.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.