Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 51

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

तं निघ्नन्तं महादेवं निरीक्ष्य कलशोदरः कुठारं पाणिनादाय हन्ति सर्वान् महासुरान्

Transliteration

taṃ nighnantaṃ mahādevaṃ nirīkṣya kalaśodaraḥ kuṭhāraṃ pāṇinādāya hanti sarvān mahāsurān

Translation

Voyant Mahādeva les terrasser, Kalaśodara prit une hache en main et se jeta dans la mêlée, abattant de toutes parts les grands Asuras.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निघ्नन्तम्: slaying
• निघ्नन्तम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘tam’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + √हन् (धातु) → निघ्नत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle)

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (the great god)

• निरीक्ष्य: having observed
• निरीक्ष्य: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + √ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having seen/observed’

• कलशोदरः: Kalaśodara (pot-bellied one)
• कलशोदरः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश (प्रातिपदिक) + उदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (one whose belly is like a pot / pot-bellied)

• कुठारम्: axe
• कुठारम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुठार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पाणिना: with (his) hand
• पाणिना: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having taken’

• हन्ति: he kills
• हन्ति: क्रिया (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘mahāsurān’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• महासुरान्: great demons
• महासुरान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (great demons)

Speakers

• Narrator continuing the battle sequence
• introducing Kalaśodara’s action in response to Śiva’s onslaught.

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Mahādeva)

Key Themes

• Escalation in Deva-Asura battle
• Asura champions and named combatants
• Weapon symbolism (kuṭhāra/axe)
• Inevitability of divine victory (implied by context)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Kalaśodara in this context?

Kalaśodara is presented as a named combatant—likely an Asura champion—whose appearance individualizes the enemy host. Such naming is a common Purāṇic technique to structure battle episodes through successive duels and counterattacks.

What does the ‘axe’ (kuṭhāra) signify in Purāṇic battle imagery?

The kuṭhāra is a heavy, decisive weapon associated with cleaving force and martial prowess. Its mention signals a serious counteroffensive against the divine side, even if ultimately ineffective against Mahādeva’s power.

Is there any tīrtha or landscape reference embedded here?

No explicit sacred geography appears in 32.51; it remains within the immediate battlefield narration without naming rivers, mountains, forests, or pilgrimage sites.