Varaha Purana 201.4: Adhyaya 201, Shloka 4

The Battle between the Rākṣasas and Yama’s Attendant-Messengers

Uttara Bhāga · Rākṣasa-kiṅkara-yuddha (Conflict narrative) — reaction of the addressed figure

Devanagari script

ततो विवृत्तरक्ताक्षस्तेन वाक्येन रोषितः ॥ विनिःश्वस्य यथा नागो ह्यपश्यत्सर्वतो दिशम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 201.4

Transliteration

tato vivṛtta-raktākṣas tena vākyena roṣitaḥ || viniḥśvasya yathā nāgo hy apaśyat sarvato diśam ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

అప్పుడు ఆ మాటలతో కోపగించి అతని కన్నులు ఎర్రబడి తిరుగుచుండెను। సర్పంలా బలంగా నిశ్వాసం విడిచి, అన్ని దిశల వైపు చూచెను।

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Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Ablatival adverb (अनन्तरम्-अव्यय)
• Role: Kāla (काल)
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)

• vivṛtta-rakta-akṣaḥ: (he) with rolled/bulging red eyes
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; कर्मधारयः (विवृत्ताः रक्ताः अक्षी यस्य/विवृत्तरक्ताक्षः)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: vivṛtta + rakta + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)

• tena: by that/with that
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; सर्वनाम
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• vākyena: by the statement/words
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)

• roṣitaḥ: angered
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: √ruṣ (रुष् धातु) + kta (क्त)

• viniḥśvasya: having exhaled/snorted
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययार्थ), ‘having sighed/snorted’
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Root: vi + nis + √śvas (श्वस् धातु)

• yathā: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Comparative adverb (उपमा-वाचक-अव्यय)
• Role: Upamāna (उपमान-सूचक)
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)

• nāgaḥ: an elephant
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular
• Role: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)

• hi: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Root: hi (अव्यय)

• apaśyat: saw/looked
• Type: Verb
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: √paś (पश् धातु)

• sarvataḥ: on all sides
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Adverb (दिक्/देशवाचक-अव्यय)
• Role: Deśa (देश)
• Root: sarvataḥ (अव्यय)

• diśam: direction
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• vivṛtta-raktākṣas resolved to vivṛtta-rakta-akṣaḥ
• viniḥśvasya is gerund from vi+nis+√śvas
• hy apaśyat = hi + apaśyat

Speaker and setting

Raudra and Bhayanaka rasaSetting: Battle-prelude space

Speaker

Ṛṣi-putra (narratorial continuation; speaker tag earlier in 201.1)

The teaching

Path

Mind Discipline

Subjects

Narrative LiteratureEmotion (Krodha) MotifConflict Prelude

Core idea

Krodha distorts perception; the ‘looking in all directions’ signals a mind searching for targets rather than solutions.

In practice

Pause before acting when anger rises; regulate breath (prāṇa) to prevent speech/acts that create lasting harm.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Sanskrit Poetics
• Classical Narrative
• Mythic Cycles

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It showcases a standard Sanskrit narrative technique: physicalized emotion (anger) conveyed through ocular description and animal simile.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is specified; the verse describes a character’s reaction and scanning of directions.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Implicitly, it warns of anger’s escalation in conflict settings, portraying how speech can trigger volatile responses.