Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 26
The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn
तमापतन्तं प्रसमीक्ष्य मातरः शस्त्रैः शिताग्रैर्दितजं ववर्षुः यो रक्तबिन्दुर्न्यपतत् पृथिव्यां स तत्प्रमाणस्त्वसुरो ऽपि जज्ञे
tamāpatantaṃ prasamīkṣya mātaraḥ śastraiḥ śitāgrairditajaṃ vavarṣuḥ yo raktabindurnyapatat pṛthivyāṃ sa tatpramāṇastvasuro 'pi jajñe
Le voyant fondre sur elles, les Mères accablèrent le fils de Diti d’armes aux pointes acérées. Pourtant, chaque goutte de sang qui tombait sur la terre faisait naître un Asura de même mesure, en forme et en taille.
{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
It dramatizes the idea that brute force alone cannot defeat certain adharma-powers protected by boons. The narrative typically requires a shift in strategy—often the Mothers drinking the blood before it touches the ground—to neutralize the boon.
It specifies that the newly born Asura is not a weak offshoot but a full-sized counterpart, matching the ‘measure’ of the original—thereby escalating the threat exponentially.
No. Unlike many Vāmana Purāṇa passages that anchor events in named sacred geographies, these verses remain geographically non-specific, focusing on the mythic mechanism of Raktabīja’s power.