Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 49

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

दैत्यानापततो दृष्ट्वा कार्तिकेयगणास्ततः अभ्यद्रवन्त सहसा स चोग्रो मातृमण्डलः

Transliteration

daityānāpatato dṛṣṭvā kārtikeyagaṇāstataḥ abhyadravanta sahasā sa cogro mātṛmaṇḍalaḥ

Translation

দৈত্যদের আক্রমণে ধেয়ে আসতে দেখে কার্ত্তিকেয়ের গণেরা তৎক্ষণাৎ ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়ল; আর উগ্র মাতৃমণ্ডলও অগ্রসর হয়ে উঠল।

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic sūta-style narration) describing the battle to the listening sages (frame not specified in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Kārttikeya (Skanda)
• Mātṛkās (Divine Mothers)

Key Themes

• Andhaka-vadha cycle
• Deva-Asura conflict
• Śaiva martial retinue (Skanda and Mātṛs)
• Divine hosts (gaṇas)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are the ‘Mothers’ (Mātṛ-maṇḍala) in this verse?

The term typically denotes the Mātṛkās—powerful mother-goddesses who function as Śiva’s (and sometimes Skanda’s) śaktis in battle narratives. They appear as a collective ‘circle’ (maṇḍala), emphasizing coordinated, overwhelming divine force.

Why are Kārttikeya’s gaṇas highlighted here?

Skanda is the paradigmatic commander of divine armies. Mentioning his gaṇas signals an organized counter-assault against the Daityas and situates the episode within the broader Śaiva martial mythology that culminates in the suppression of demonic forces like Andhaka.

Is any sacred geography indicated in this verse?

No explicit tīrtha, river, forest, or locale is named in 32.49; the verse is purely martial and collective in focus.