Varaha Purana 28.41: Adhyaya 28, Shloka 41

The Manifestation of Māyā as Durgā/Kātyāyanī and the Slaying of Vaitrāsura

Devanagari script

त्वया देवि महत्कार्यं कर्तव्यं चान्यदस्ति नः । भविष्यं महिषाख्यस्य असुरस्य विनाशनम् ॥ २८.४१ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 28.41

Transliteration

tvayā devi mahatkāryaṃ kartavyaṃ cānyad asti naḥ | bhaviṣyaṃ mahiṣākhyasya asurasya vināśanam || 28.41 ||

Translation

ข้าแต่พระเทวี พระองค์ต้องทรงกระทำภารกิจอันยิ่งใหญ่; สำหรับพวกเราไม่มีสิ่งอื่นแล้ว ต่อไปนี้คือการทำลายอสูรนามว่า ‘มหิษะ’.

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Word by Word

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (त्वद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; instrumental agent

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

• mahat-kāryam: a great task
• mahat-kāryam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahat-kārya (महत् + कार्य, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya ‘mahat kāryam’; Napuṃsakaliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; subject-complement with ‘kartavyam’

• kartavyam: to be done / must be done
• kartavyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kartavya (कर्तव्य, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ कृ)
• Form: Kṛtya-pratyaya (तव्य), obligation; Napuṃsakaliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (to be done)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (and)

• anyat: anything else
• anyat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (अन्य, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘anyat asti’ = ‘there is something else’

• asti: is
• asti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, present), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• naḥ: for us / our
• naḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (genitive) Bahuvacana (बहुवचन) enclitic; ‘for us/our’

• bhaviṣyam: the future (event) / what is to come
• bhaviṣyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaviṣya (भविष्य, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; apposition to ‘mahatkāryam’

• mahiṣākhyasya: of (the one) named Mahiṣa
• mahiṣākhyasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahiṣa-ākhya (महिष + आख्य, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa ‘mahiṣaḥ ākhyā yasya’ (named ‘Mahiṣa’); Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of ‘asurasya’

• asurasya: of the demon
• asurasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• vināśanam: destruction
• vināśanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vināśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate/apposition: ‘(it is) the destruction’

Speaker

Varāha (default, per dialogue framework in absence of explicit attribution)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Narrative
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Sanskrit Textual Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative pattern in which the restoration of order (dharma) is framed through the impending defeat of an asura, presented as part of a larger cosmological and ethical storyline rather than a dated historical chronicle.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named in this verse; it focuses on a forthcoming event (the destruction of Mahiṣa) within a narrative sequence.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes responsibility and decisive action in service of restoring order—articulated as a ‘great task’ entrusted to the addressed Devī, culminating in the removal of a disruptive force.