Vamana Purana — Battle at Mandara, Shloka 25

The Battle at Mandara: Vinayaka, Nandin, and Skanda Rout the Daitya Hosts

Devanagari script

चतुरङ्गबलं दृष्ट्वा हन्यमानं गणेश्वरैः क्रोधान्वितस्तुहुण्डस्तु वेगोनाबिससार ह

Transliteration

caturaṅgabalaṃ dṛṣṭvā hanyamānaṃ gaṇeśvaraiḥ krodhānvitastuhuṇḍastu vegonābisasāra ha

Translation

Voyant l’armée aux quatre corps taillée en pièces par les seigneurs des gaṇas, Huṇḍa, empli de colère, se rua en avant avec une grande vitesse.

Speakers

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

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Rudra)
• Gaṇeśvaras (Śiva’s gaṇa-chiefs)

Key Themes

• Deva–Asura conflict
• Valor and wrath in battle
• Protection by Śiva’s gaṇas

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does “caturaṅgabala” signify in Purāṇic battle descriptions?

It is a conventional epic-military term for a complete army composed of four arms: foot-soldiers, horsemen, chariots, and elephants—signaling a full-scale, royal-grade force.

Who are the “gaṇeśvaras” here—does it mean Gaṇeśa?

Here gaṇeśvara means ‘lord among the gaṇas’ (Śiva’s attendant hosts). It is not a direct reference to the deity Gaṇeśa, but to gaṇa-chiefs fighting on Rudra’s side.

What is the narrative function of Huṇḍa’s sudden rush?

It marks a tactical escalation: when the organized fourfold army collapses under gaṇa assault, a named champion (Huṇḍa) enters personally, shifting the scene from mass combat to hero-versus-host engagement.