Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 43
The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn
तमापतन्तं निस्त्रिंशं षड्भिर्बर्हिणराजितैः चिच्छेद चर्मणा सार्द्ध तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्
tamāpatantaṃ nistriṃśaṃ ṣaḍbhirbarhiṇarājitaiḥ ciccheda carmaṇā sārddha tadadbhutamivābhavat
{"has_teaching": true, "teaching_type": "bhakti", "core_concept": "Jagad-vyāpti of Devī (jaganmayī) and her role as sarvārti-harā—suffering is relieved through surrender and praise.", "teaching_summary": "The hymn frames the Goddess as both elevated (Brahmā’s haṃsa-vāhanā) and accessible in protective folk forms (rāsabha-vāhinī), emphasizing her universal pervasion and compassion.", "vedantic_theme": "Īśvarī as the immanent substratum (adhisthāna) of the world; devotion as a means to transform duḥkha into śānti.", "practical_application": "Recite during tīrtha-yātrā or personal संकट; pair with charity/vrata at Sarasvatī–Kurukṣetra sites for ‘ārti-śamana’ intent."}
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The agent is Ambikā (Devī). The verse highlights her superhuman precision: she severs both the incoming sword and the accompanying shield, underscoring divine mastery over asuric aggression in the Andhaka-cycle battles.
Barhiṇa literally means ‘peacock.’ In martial description it commonly signals ornamentation or a shimmering, iridescent brilliance like peacock feathers—either on the sword fragments or on the weapon’s decorative fittings—intensifying the ‘adbhuta’ (marvel) effect.
Not directly. This is a yuddha-varṇana (battle description) segment within the Andhaka narrative; no sacred sites are named here, unlike the Purāṇa’s tīrtha-mahātmya passages.