Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 52
The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra
सेनायाः पतिरस्त्वेष देवगन्धर्वकिंनराः महिषं घातयत्वेष तारकं च सुदारुणम्
senāyāḥ patirastveṣa devagandharvakiṃnarāḥ mahiṣaṃ ghātayatveṣa tārakaṃ ca sudāruṇam
“হে দেব, গন্ধর্ব ও কিন্নরগণ! এ-ই সেনাপতি হোক; এ মহিষকে এবং অতিভয়ংকর তারককেও বধ করুক।”
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FAQs
The verse refers to “eṣa” (“this one”), pointing to a figure identified by the surrounding narrative (commonly Skanda/Kumāra in related Purāṇic cycles). The immediate line itself functions as a formal commissioning: the celestials designate a leader to defeat specific asuras.
The names align with well-known asura figures across Purāṇic literature, but each Purāṇa may compress, rearrange, or localize episodes. Here they function as emblematic adversaries whose defeat restores divine order; precise identification should be read with the chapter’s broader Andhaka-related frame.
Their inclusion signals a pan-celestial mobilization: not only the Devas but also attendant heavenly classes participate in the cosmic campaign, emphasizing the scale of the threat and the unity of the divine realm.