Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 20

The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn

Devanagari script

मारी त्रिशूलेन जघान चान्यान् खट्वाङ्गपातैरपरांश्च कौशिकी महाजलक्षेपहतप्रभावान् ब्राह्मी तथान्यानसुरांश्चकार

Transliteration

mārī triśūlena jaghāna cānyān khaṭvāṅgapātairaparāṃśca kauśikī mahājalakṣepahataprabhāvān brāhmī tathānyānasurāṃścakāra

Translation

ضربت ماري بعضَ الآخرين بالثلاثيّ الشُّعب فصرعتهم؛ وأسقطت كوشيكي شياطينَ آخرين بضربات عصا الخَطْوانغا. أمّا براهمي فبقذف كُتَلٍ عظيمة من الماء حطّمت قوّة (بهاء/طاقة) أسورا آخرين، فتكفّلت بهم على ذلك النحو.

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic sūta-style) describing the battle to the listening sage(s) (exact interlocutors not specified in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Brāhmī (Mātṛkā)
• Kauśikī (Devī)
• Mārī (Mātṛkā/Devī-form)

Key Themes

• Mātṛkā-śakti (powers of the Mothers)
• Divine weaponry and iconography
• Asura-suppression as restoration of cosmic order
• Śākta-Śaiva narrative frame within Andhaka cycle

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are Brāhmī and Kauśikī in this battle context?

Brāhmī is one of the Sapta/Aṣṭa Mātṛkās—Mother-goddesses embodying the energies of major deities (here, Brahmā). Kauśikī is a fierce Devī-form (often identified with Durgā/Umā in Purāṇic traditions) who functions as an independent martial power against Asuras.

Why is ‘throwing great water’ (mahā-jala-kṣepa) treated as a weapon?

Purāṇic battle-poetics frequently depict elemental forces as divine armaments. Flooding or water-casting can neutralize demonic ‘prabhāva’ (efficacy, magical force), symbolizing the Devī’s control over the elements and the draining of Asuric power.

Does this verse contain the Vāmana Purāṇa’s typical tīrtha-geography?

No. This is a mythic-combat segment within the Andhaka-vadha cycle; it is primarily theological and iconographic rather than topographical, and it names no specific tīrtha or landscape feature.