Varaha Purana 94.45: Adhyaya 94, Shloka 45
The Birth of Mahiṣāsura and the Goddess’s Victory as Mahīṣamardinī
कुर्वतस्तु तपो घोरं निराहारस्य शोभने । आद्या तु विप्रचित्तेस्तु सुता सुरसुतोपमा । माहिष्मतीति विख्याता रूपेणासदृशी भुवि ॥
kurvatas tu tapo ghoraṁ nirāhārasya śobhane | ādyā tu vipracittes tu sutā surasutopamā | māhiṣmatīti vikhyātā rūpeṇāsadṛśī bhuvi ||
ఓ సుందరీ! అతడు నిరాహారంగా ఘోర తపస్సు చేయుచుండగా, విప్రచిత్తి యొక్క మొదటి కుమార్తె దేవకన్యసమానంగా ‘మాహిష్మతీ’ అనే పేరుతో ప్రసిద్ధి పొందింది; రూపంలో భూమిపై అసమానురాలు.
Varāha (default dialogue framework; explicit speaker not marked in this verse)
FAQs
The verse preserves a Purāṇic style of combining ascetic motifs (tapas, nirāhāra) with genealogical cataloguing, useful for tracing how later Sanskrit traditions organized mythic lineages.
The name “Māhiṣmatī” can also denote a famed ancient city in Sanskrit literature; however, in this verse it functions as a personal name (a daughter of Vipracitti), not an explicit place-identification.
Indirectly, it highlights tapas (disciplined austerity) as a culturally significant practice within Purāṇic narratives, without issuing a direct prescriptive command.
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