Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha Shloka 57 - Vamana Purana | English | Vedapath

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Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 57

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

सहस्रनयनः शूलं भ्रामयन् वै गणाग्रणीः निजघानासुरान् वीरः सवाजिरथकुञ्जरान्

Transliteration

sahasranayanaḥ śūlaṃ bhrāmayan vai gaṇāgraṇīḥ nijaghānāsurān vīraḥ savājirathakuñjarān

Translation

The heroic Gaṇa-leader Sahasranayana, whirling a spear, struck down the Asuras together with their horses, chariots, and elephants.

Word by Word

सहस्रनयनःthe thousand-eyed one

शूलम्trident, spear

भ्रामयन्whirling

वैindeed

गणाग्रणीःleader of the gaṇas

निजघानslew, struck down

असुरान्asuras, demons

वीरःthe hero

सवाजिरथकुञ्जरान्along with their horses, chariots, and elephants

Speakers

Narrator continuing the catalogue of Gaṇa champions and their battlefield actions.

Primary Deities

ŚivaGaṇas (Sahasranayana)

Key Themes

Gaṇa commandersEpic battle conventionsDestruction of enemy war-machinesTriumph of divine forces

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is ‘Sahasranayana’ meant to indicate Indra here?

Although ‘Sahasranayana’ is a well-known epithet of Indra, the verse explicitly calls him gaṇāgraṇīḥ (“leader of the Gaṇas”), indicating a Gaṇa commander bearing that epithet/name within Śiva’s host in this narrative context.

What does the phrase ‘with horses, chariots, and elephants’ emphasize?

It signals total battlefield dominance: not only are the warriors slain, but the entire military apparatus—cavalry, chariot corps, and elephant divisions—is neutralized, a standard Purāṇic marker of rout.

Does ‘śūla’ here imply Śiva’s trident (triśūla)?

Śūla can denote a spear or pike and may evoke Śiva’s iconic weaponry by association, but the verse does not specify triśūla; it primarily conveys a heavy piercing weapon being whirled in combat.