Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 10

The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

रोमश्मश्व्रक्षिकेशाद्याः सर्वे जाता हिरण्मयाः हिरण्यरेता लोकेषु तेन गीतश्च पावकः

Transliteration

romaśmaśvrakṣikeśādyāḥ sarve jātā hiraṇmayāḥ hiraṇyaretā lokeṣu tena gītaśca pāvakaḥ

Translation

“The hair of the body, the beard, the eyes, the hair of the head, and the rest—all became golden. Because his semen/seed was golden in the worlds, therefore the Fire (Pāvaka) is celebrated as ‘Hiraṇyaretas’ (the one of golden seed).”

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing the epithet and nature of Pāvaka/Agni within the cosmogonic account.

Primary Deities

• Pāvaka (Agni)

Key Themes

• Cosmogony and divine epithets
• Agni as purifier (pāvaka)
• Luminous/golden generative essence (hiraṇyaretas)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why is Agni called ‘Hiraṇyaretas’ here?

The verse provides an etymological-theological explanation: Agni’s generative essence (retas) is described as ‘golden’ (hiraṇya), signifying radiance, purity, and cosmic potency; hence the epithet ‘Hiraṇyaretas’ becomes a celebrated name for Pāvaka.

What is the significance of bodily features becoming ‘golden’?

In Purāṇic cosmology, ‘golden’ (hiraṇmaya) marks a transition into a luminous, divine state. The imagery signals that the being described has assumed a supra-human, radiant constitution consistent with cosmic functions like purification and creation.

Does this verse connect to tīrtha-geography in the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not directly. This śloka is cosmological and nominative (explaining an epithet). Geographic/tīrtha mapping is absent in the wording of 31.10.