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 ||
Dakṣa nói: “Hãy mau cầm lấy vũ khí; hãy lập chiến trận tại đây.” Khi lời ấy vừa dứt, một cuộc giao chiến lớn bùng nổ giữa chư thiên mang đủ loại binh khí và các tùy tùng của Rudra.
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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