Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 26
The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn
तमापतन्तं प्रसमीक्ष्य मातरः शस्त्रैः शिताग्रैर्दितजं ववर्षुः यो रक्तबिन्दुर्न्यपतत् पृथिव्यां स तत्प्रमाणस्त्वसुरो ऽपि जज्ञे
tamāpatantaṃ prasamīkṣya mātaraḥ śastraiḥ śitāgrairditajaṃ vavarṣuḥ yo raktabindurnyapatat pṛthivyāṃ sa tatpramāṇastvasuro 'pi jajñe
Seeing him rushing in, the Mothers showered the son of Diti with sharp-pointed weapons. Yet whatever drop of blood fell upon the earth, from it an Asura of the same measure (in form and size) was born.
{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
It dramatizes the idea that brute force alone cannot defeat certain adharma-powers protected by boons. The narrative typically requires a shift in strategy—often the Mothers drinking the blood before it touches the ground—to neutralize the boon.
It specifies that the newly born Asura is not a weak offshoot but a full-sized counterpart, matching the ‘measure’ of the original—thereby escalating the threat exponentially.
No. Unlike many Vāmana Purāṇa passages that anchor events in named sacred geographies, these verses remain geographically non-specific, focusing on the mythic mechanism of Raktabīja’s power.