Shloka 35

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

Devanagari script

ततो गणेशः कलशध्वजस्तु प्रासेन राहुं हृदये बिभेद घटोदरो वै गदया जघान खड्गेन रक्षो ऽधिपतिः सुकेशी

Transliteration

tato gaṇeśaḥ kalaśadhvajastu prāsena rāhuṃ hṛdaye bibheda ghaṭodaro vai gadayā jaghāna khaḍgena rakṣo 'dhipatiḥ sukeśī

Translation

Then Gaṇeśa—(the one) bearing the banner marked with a water-pot—pierced Rāhu in the heart with a spear. Ghaṭodara struck (him) with a mace, and the rākṣasa-chief Sukeśī (struck) with a sword.

Speakers

• Narrator (paurāṇika voice) continuing the battle description to the audience in the chapter’s frame.

Primary Deities

• Gaṇeśa
• Śiva (implied as lord of the gaṇas)

Key Themes

• Iconography within battle narrative (kalaśa-dhvaja)
• Gaṇa hierarchy and named commanders
• Asura/rākṣasa opposition to Śiva’s forces

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of ‘kalaśadhvaja’ (water-pot banner) for Gaṇeśa here?

Purāṇic battle sections sometimes preserve emblematic identifiers (dhvaja-lakṣaṇa) for commanders. A kalaśa can signal auspiciousness, ritual plenitude, and ‘victory-mark’ symbolism; here it functions primarily as a distinguishing epithet within a fast-moving combat catalogue.

Why are multiple fighters said to strike in a single verse—does it imply simultaneous action?

This is a common Purāṇic/Itihāsa style: a single śloka can compress a sequence of blows by different champions. It need not mean literal simultaneity; it is a narrative technique to convey intensity and the many-front nature of the melee.

Is Sukeśī on Rāhu’s side or striking Rāhu?

Grammatically, the verse lists actions in succession without repeating the object each time; the most natural reading is that the same opponent (Rāhu) is being attacked by Gaṇeśa and allied gaṇas, while Sukeśī is introduced as a rākṣasa-chief participating in the clash (either counterattacking or entering the exchange). Many manuscripts/recensions of battle catalogues show such compressed syntax; resolving exact targeting sometimes requires adjacent verses or commentary.