Varaha Purana 95.18: Adhyaya 95, Shloka 18

The Slaying of the Daitya Ruru, the Hymn to Cāmuṇḍā/Kālarātri, and the Doctrine of the Threefold Power

Pūrva Bhāga · Devī–Dānava Saṅgrāma

Devanagari script

ताः सर्वाः कोटिशो देव्यस्तां देवीं वेष्ट्य संस्थिताः । युयुधुर्दानवैः सार्द्धं बद्धतूणा महाबलाः । क्षणेन दानवबलं तत्सर्वं निहतं तु तैः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 95.18

Transliteration

tāḥ sarvāḥ koṭiśo devyastāṃ devīṃ veṣṭya saṃsthitāḥ | yuyudhurdānavaiḥ sārddhaṃ baddhatūṇā mahābalāḥ | kṣaṇena dānavabalaṃ tatsarvaṃ nihataṃ tu taiḥ ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

เหล่าเทพีเป็นโกฏิจำนวนยิ่งนัก ยืนล้อมรอบพระเทวีองค์นั้น. ผู้มีกำลังใหญ่ คาดแล่งธนูไว้ ต่อสู้ร่วมกับพวกทานวะ; และในชั่วขณะ กองทัพทานวะทั้งหมดก็ถูกพวกนางสังหารสิ้น.

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Word by Word

• tāḥ: they (those women)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā Bahuvacana; sarvanāma (pronoun)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• sarvāḥ: all
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā Bahuvacana
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)

• koṭiśaḥ: by crores, in tens of millions
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; parimāṇa/saṅkhyā-artha adverb (प्रमाणार्थ क्रियाविशेषण)
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Root: koṭiśas (अव्यय)

• devyaḥ: goddesses
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā Bahuvacana
• Role: Karta
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)

• tām: her (that)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (द्वितीया) Ekavacana; sarvanāma
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• devīm: the goddess
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā Ekavacana
• Role: Karma
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)

• veṣṭya: having surrounded
• Type: Verb
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), 'having surrounded'
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Root: veṣṭ (धातु)

• saṃsthitāḥ: stood, were stationed
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त), Strīliṅga Prathamā Bahuvacana; 'standing/positioned'
• Role: Karta (as predicate participle)
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु)

• yuyudhuḥ: they fought
• Type: Verb
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (लङ्, imperfect/past), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: √yudh (धातु)

• dānavaiḥ: with the demons (Dānavas)
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (तृतीया) Bahuvacana
• Role: Sahakāraka/Instrument (करण/सह)
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)

• sārddham: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; saha-artha (सह-अर्थ)
• Role: Sambandha
• Root: sārddham (अव्यय)

• baddha-tūṇāḥ: with quivers bound on
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Puṃliṅga/Strīliṅga? (agreeing with devyaḥ: Strīliṅga), Prathamā Bahuvacana; 'with quivers fastened'
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa
• Root: baddha (कृदन्त, √bandh धातु) + tūṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

• mahā-balāḥ: very strong
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā Bahuvacana; 'of great strength'
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)

• kṣaṇena: in a moment
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā Ekavacana; kāla-karaṇa (time as instrument)
• Role: Kāla-adhikaraṇa/Instrument (काल/करण)
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

• dānava-balam: the demon army/force
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā Ekavacana
• Role: Karma
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)

• tat: that
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Prathamā/Dvitīyā Ekavacana; here with 'sarvam' as determiner
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

• sarvam: all, entire
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā Ekavacana (agreeing with balam)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)

• nihatam: slain, destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त), Napuṃsaka, Prathamā Ekavacana; predicate with 'dānavabalam' (karmani prayoga sense: 'was slain')
• Role: Kriyā (predicate)
• Root: ni-√han (धातु)

• tu: indeed, but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; avadhāraṇa/viśeṣaṇa-nipāta (emphatic particle)
• Role: Sambandha
• Root: tu (अव्यय)

• taiḥ: by them
• Type: Noun
• Form: Puṃliṅga/Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā Bahuvacana; sarvanāma; refers to devyaḥ
• Role: Kartṛ-karaṇa in passive / Instrument (करण)
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• devyastāṃ = devyaḥ+tām
• veṣṭya = absolutive of √veṣṭ
• yuyudhur = yuyudhuḥ (visarga sandhi)
• tatsarvam = tat+sarvam

Speaker and setting

Vira and Raudra rasaSetting: Mythic battlefield

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Theology of śakti

Subjects

Mythic WarfareDivine HostsNarrative Theology

Core idea

When dharma is threatened, divine powers manifest collectively; protection (rakṣā) can be immediate when aligned with cosmic order.

In practice

Cultivate saṅgha/collective resolve in righteous defense; interpret ‘encircling the Goddess’ as guarding the sacred (values, vows, community).

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Mythology
• Sanskrit Narrative
• Classical Literature

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a common Purāṇic narrative pattern: the multiplication/manifestation of divine powers (śaktis) as a collective force, a motif shared with other Devī-centered corpora.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is specified; the verse focuses on battlefield action and the formation around the central Goddess.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Implicitly, it presents the restoration of order through coordinated action against disruptive forces, without stating a prescriptive moral rule.