Varaha Purana 21.55 — Adhyaya 21, Shloka 55
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari–Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
एकं गदां भ्रामयति द्वितीयं दण्डमेव च । एकं शोभति कण्ठस्थैर्मणिभिस्त्वस्थिभिः परम् । एकं पीताम्बरं तत्र द्वितीयं सर्पमेखलम् ॥ २१.५६ ॥
ekaṁ gadāṁ bhrāmayati dvitīyaṁ daṇḍam eva ca | ekaṁ śobhati kaṇṭhasthair maṇibhis tv asthibhiḥ param | ekaṁ pītāmbaraṁ tatra dvitīyaṁ sarpamekhalam || 21.56 ||
ایک گدا گھماتا ہے اور دوسرا صرف عصا تھامے ہے۔ ایک گلے کے جواہرات سے درخشاں ہے، اور دوسرا ہڈیوں کے زیور سے نہایت شاندار ہے۔ ایک پیلا لباس (پیتامبر) پہنے ہے، اور دوسرا سانپوں کی کمر بند (سرپ میکھلا) دھارے ہے۔
Varāha (default, within Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"None","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"integration of opposites","core_concept":"Adornment with jewels vs bones, yellow silk vs serpent-girdle: prosperity and cremation-ground austerity are presented as two faces of the divine, both within cosmic order.","practical_application":"See ‘śubha’ and ‘ugra’ experiences as complementary; cultivate equanimity amid wealth/beauty and loss/impermanence."}
Subject Matter: ["Iconography","Mythic Narrative","Comparative Description","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: iconographic panorama
Related Themes: 21.21.54-55 (continuing attribute-catalogue)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dynamic split-scene: one deity whirls a mace, clad in yellow silk and jeweled necklaces; the other stands with a staff, adorned with bones and a serpent-girdle—motion versus stillness, splendor versus austerity.","item_prompts":["whirling gadā with motion blur arcs","upright staff (daṇḍa)","neck jewels vs bone garland","pītāmbara flowing cloth","serpent belt coiled at waist"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: strong rhythmic curves for the spinning mace; pītāmbara in bright yellow; serpent belt stylized with patterned scales; bone ornaments in ivory-white.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf highlights on jewelry and mace; thick yellow garment with embossed borders; serpent belt rendered with raised green-gold texture; bone ornaments stark and iconic.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant motion depiction for gadā; refined textile shading for pītāmbara; detailed serpent anatomy; balanced composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical movement lines; soft yellow wash for garment; serpent belt as sinuous green line; bone ornaments simplified but expressive, with a cool-toned background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"energetic yet pictorial","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium-fast","voice_tone":"animated on action-words (bhrāmayati), then measured on descriptive compounds"}
FAQs
The verse preserves a stylized, comparative description of attributes (weapons, ornaments, garments) that can be used in manuscript studies and art-history research to trace Purāṇic iconographic conventions and their later reception in temple imagery.
No geographic location is named in this verse fragment; it is primarily descriptive (iconographic/attribute-focused) rather than topographical.
No explicit ethical injunction is stated here; the passage functions as descriptive narration, emphasizing recognizable attributes and symbolic markers rather than prescribing conduct.
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