Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 76

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

तच्छ्रुत्वाभ्यद्रवद् बाणः प्रासमाविध्य वेगवान् जघान चक्रं रक्ताक्षः पञ्जमुष्टिशतेन हि

Transliteration

tacchrutvābhyadravad bāṇaḥ prāsamāvidhya vegavān jaghāna cakraṃ raktākṣaḥ pañjamuṣṭiśatena hi

Translation

Als er dies hörte, stürmte Bāṇa heran; schnell schleuderte er einen Speer. Der Rotäugige schlug Cakra mit fünfhundert Fausthieben nieder.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (news/that act)
• तत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (श्रुत्वा इत्यस्य कर्म)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• अभि: towards/against
• अभि: Upasarga (उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb)

• अद्रवत्: ran/charged
• अद्रवत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बाणः: Bāṇa (asura)
• बाणः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रासम्: spear
• प्रासम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आ: forth/fully
• आ: Upasarga (उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb)

• आविध्य: having hurled/brandished
• आविध्य: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्/विध् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘आ’ उपसर्गयुक्त

• वेगवान्: swift/impetuous
• वेगवान्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (बाणः)

• जघान: struck/smashed
• जघान: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चक्रम्: discus
• चक्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रक्ताक्षः: Raktākṣa (red-eyed one)
• रक्ताक्षः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्त + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘रक्ताः अक्षी यस्य’/‘रक्तम् अक्षि’

• पञ्ज-मुष्टि-शतेन: with a hundred fistfuls/with a hundred blows of the fist
• पञ्ज-मुष्टि-शतेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चन् + मुष्टि + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (संख्यापूर्वकः)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speakers

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

Key Themes

• Asura warfare
• Heroic combat
• Martial prowess

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is “cakra” here Vishnu’s Sudarśana-cakra or a person?

In this local narrative sequence, “cakra” functions as a combatant who can be bound and is paired with the epithet/name “Sucakrākṣa” in the next verse; this strongly indicates a named warrior rather than Vishnu’s weapon.

What does “pañca-muṣṭi-śatena” convey stylistically?

It is a hyperbolic martial measure—‘five hundred fist-blows’—used in Purāṇic battle narration to signal overwhelming force and rapid striking rather than a literal count.

Why is Bāṇa highlighted in the Andhaka-related section?

Many Purāṇas interweave allied asura lineages and campaigns around the Andhaka cycle; Bāṇa appears as a prominent asura figure whose battles amplify the scale of the conflict.