Shloka 8
Dharmāṅgada’s Conquest of the Directions
इमे जिता मया तात पञ्च विद्याधरा रणे । मलये भूधरश्रेष्ठे वैष्णवास्त्रेण भूपते ॥ ८ ॥
ime jitā mayā tāta pañca vidyādharā raṇe | malaye bhūdharaśreṣṭhe vaiṣṇavāstreṇa bhūpate || 8 ||
He said: “Revered father, these five Vidyādharas were defeated by me in battle on Mount Malaya—the foremost of mountains—by the Vaiṣṇava divine weapon, O king.”
Narrator (a warrior/hero addressing a king within the Adhyaya’s narrative frame)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It highlights Viṣṇu’s supremacy as protective power: victory is attributed not merely to personal strength but to the Vaiṣṇava astra—symbolizing surrender to and reliance on Viṣṇu’s divine agency.
By presenting the Vaiṣṇava weapon as the decisive force, the verse implies that alignment with Viṣṇu (bhakti and śaraṇāgati) grants protection and success against formidable beings like the Vidyādharas.
Indirectly, it reflects mantra-śāstra and ritual-application traditions associated with sacred weapons (astra) that depend on correct recitation and procedure—areas connected with Śikṣā (phonetics) and Vyākaraṇa (correct forms) for effective mantra usage.