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 ||
Một (hình tướng) xoay vung chùy (gadā); hình tướng thứ hai chỉ cầm gậy (daṇḍa). Một vị rực rỡ với châu báu nơi cổ và lại tối thượng với những bộ xương; một vị khoác y vàng (pītāmbara), còn vị kia thắt đai bằng rắn (sarpa-mekhalā).
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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