Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 43

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

Devanagari script

तमापतन्तं निस्त्रिंशं षड्भिर्बर्हिणराजितैः चिच्छेद चर्मणा सार्द्ध तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्

Transliteration

tamāpatantaṃ nistriṃśaṃ ṣaḍbhirbarhiṇarājitaiḥ ciccheda carmaṇā sārddha tadadbhutamivābhavat

Translation

namo 'stu: homage be (to you); paitāmaha: belonging to the Pitāmaha (Brahmā), ‘ancestral’; haṃsa-vāhana: ‘swan-vehicle’, one whose mount is a swan; mālā-vikaṭā: a Devi-epithet (lit. ‘garlanded/with a garland’ + ‘awe-inspiring/terrible’), indicating benign-auspicious and fierce aspects together; su-keśinī: ‘one with beautiful/fair hair’; rāsabha-pṛṣṭha-vāhinī: ‘she who rides on a donkey’s back’ (a marker of certain fierce/folk-protective Devi forms); sarva-ārti-harā: ‘remover of all distress/suffering’; jagan-mayī: ‘whose essence is the world’, immanent cosmic form of the Goddess.

Word by Word

• तम्: him / that (one)
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आपतन्तम्: falling/charging towards
• आपतन्तम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ+पत् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle active), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं तम्

• निस्त्रिंशम्: sword / scimitar
• निस्त्रिंशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निस्त्रिंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• षड्भिः: with six
• षड्भिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण

• बर्हिण-राजितैः: adorned with peacock-feathers
• बर्हिण-राजितैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बर्हिण (प्रातिपदिक) + राजित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; तृतीया-बहुवचन विशेषण (षड्भिः ...); तत्पुरुष (बर्हिणेन राजित = adorned with peacock-feathers)

• चिच्छेद: cut / severed
• चिच्छेद: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चर्मणा: with a hide/shield
• चर्मणा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• सार्द्धम्: together with
• सार्द्धम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्द्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable meaning ‘together with’)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful / astonishing
• अद्भुतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणं तत्

• इव: as if
• इव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle: as if)

• अभवत्: became / was
• अभवत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Narrator (Sūta) describing the battle to the assembled sages (Śaunaka and others) [frame typical of Purāṇic narration]

Primary Deities

• Ambikā (Devī)
• (implied) Śiva’s gaṇa-aligned forces
• Mahāsura (unnamed here)

Key Themes

• Devī’s martial prowess
• Miraculous combat feats (adbhuta)
• Protection of dharma through divine intervention
• Epic-style weapon description

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who performs the cutting, and why is it significant?

The agent is Ambikā (Devī). The verse highlights her superhuman precision: she severs both the incoming sword and the accompanying shield, underscoring divine mastery over asuric aggression in the Andhaka-cycle battles.

What does “barhiṇa-rājita” imply in a weapon context?

Barhiṇa literally means ‘peacock.’ In martial description it commonly signals ornamentation or a shimmering, iridescent brilliance like peacock feathers—either on the sword fragments or on the weapon’s decorative fittings—intensifying the ‘adbhuta’ (marvel) effect.

Does this verse contribute to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographical/tīrtha focus?

Not directly. This is a yuddha-varṇana (battle description) segment within the Andhaka narrative; no sacred sites are named here, unlike the Purāṇa’s tīrtha-mahātmya passages.