Varaha Purana 21.39: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 39
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
Pūrva Bhāga · Narrative Episodes (Dakṣa–Rudra Conflict Motif)
दक्ष उवाच । गृह्यन्तां द्रुतमस्त्राणि संग्रामोऽत्र विधीयताम् । एवमुक्ते तदा देवैर्विविधायुधधारिभिः । रुद्रस्यानुचरैः सार्धं महद्युद्धं प्रवर्तितम् ॥ २१.४० ॥
dakṣa uvāca | gṛhyantāṁ drutam astrāṇi saṁgrāmo 'tra vidhīyatām | evam ukte tadā devair vividhāyudha-dhāribhiḥ | rudrasyānucaraiḥ sārdhaṁ mahad yuddhaṁ pravartitam || 21.40 ||
dakSha uvAcha | gRRihyantAM drutamastrANi saMgrAmo.atra vidhIyatAm | evamukte tadA devairvividhAyudhadhAribhiH | rudrasyAnucharaiH sArdhaM mahadyuddhaM pravartitam || 21.40 ||
ทักษะกล่าวว่า “จงหยิบอาวุธโดยเร็ว; ให้มีศึก ณ ที่นี้” ครั้นกล่าวดังนั้นแล้ว มหาสงครามก็อุบัติขึ้น ระหว่างเหล่าเทพผู้ถืออาวุธนานาประการกับบริวารของรุทระ
Sandhi Notes
- संग्रामोऽत्र = संग्रामः + अत्र (विसर्ग-सन्धि)
- देवैर्विविधायुधधारिभिः = देवैः + विविधायुधधारिभिः (विसर्ग-लोप)
- रुद्रस्यानुचरैः = रुद्रस्य + अनुचरैः (स्वर-सन्धि)
Dakṣa
Daṇḍa (coercive power) is legitimate when deployed to defend sacred order and prevent sacrilege.
Use force only under rightful authority and clear purpose—defense of order, not personal rage; act promptly when protection is required.
When dharma/ritual order is threatened, the leader commands immediate mobilization; delay in defense is itself a fault.
Swift protection of order preserves worlds and merit; negligence enables adharma to spread and destroys sacrificial fruit.
21.21.41 (combatants listed)
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic conflict motif—ritual authority and divine retinues in tension—useful for comparative study across Purāṇas and related Sanskrit narrative traditions.
No specific toponym is stated in this verse; “atra” (“here”) functions as an in-scene deictic reference rather than a named site.
The verse does not present an explicit ethical maxim; it records a command that precipitates violence, serving narratively to mark escalation and the consequences of authoritative injunctions in a contested setting.
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