Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 49

The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn

Devanagari script

निशुम्भं पतितं दृष्ट्वा शुम्भः क्रोधान्महामुने वृन्दारकं समारुह्य पाशपाणिः समभ्यगात्

Transliteration

niśumbhaṃ patitaṃ dṛṣṭvā śumbhaḥ krodhānmahāmune vṛndārakaṃ samāruhya pāśapāṇiḥ samabhyagāt

Translation

{"scene_description": "A devotee repeatedly bowing at the feet of the three-eyed Goddess, offering flowers and bali; a protective aura wards off dark omens symbolizing aśubha and apamāna.", "primary_figures": ["Trinetra Devī", "Devotee(s) with bowed heads", "Attendant śaktis/gaṇas (optional)"], "setting": "Temple courtyard or sanctum threshold with flower heaps, small offering plate, and lamp; subdued shadow-figures of misfortune kept outside the aura.", "color_palette": ["warm gold", "deep red", "lamp orange", "stone gray", "white flowers", "midnight blue (omens)"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style: trinetra Devī seated under ornate arch with gold leaf, devotee prostrating at her feet, offerings of flowers and bali on a plate, protective halo pushing away dark inauspicious forms; rich jewelry and temple lamps.", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature: intimate shrine scene, devotee bowing daily (suggested by repeated posture motifs), soft pastel aura around three-eyed Goddess, flowers scattered, gentle protective mood, minimal background.", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural: bold trinetra Devī with abhaya gesture, devotee with folded hands and bowed head, stylized offerings, dark aśubha forms outside a circular aura; strong outlines and natural pigments.", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra: folk narrative panel showing ‘stuti-bali-kusuma’ offerings; devotee repeatedly bowing; Devī’s protective circle; decorative borders and clear symbolic depiction of misfortune being repelled."}

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Narrator (traditionally Pulastya) addressing a sage-listener (commonly Nārada); internal action describes Śumbha’s response to Niśumbha’s fall.

Primary Deities

• Devī (Ambikā/Durgā)

Key Themes

• Devī’s martial supremacy
• Daitya pride and retaliation
• Battle iconography (mounts and weapons)
• Krodha as a narrative trigger in yuddha episodes

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Vṛndāraka in this verse—an epithet or a place?

Here Vṛndāraka functions as a proper name for Śumbha’s mount (typically an elephant in the battle tableau). It is not presented as a tīrtha or geographic marker in this line.

Why is Śumbha described as pāśapāṇi (noose-bearing)?

The pāśa is a standard weapon motif signifying capture, restraint, and royal coercive power. In Devī–daitya battles it also contrasts with Devī’s superior, often effortless, countermeasures.

Does this verse contribute to Vāmana Purāṇa’s sacred geography?

Not directly. This is a narrative combat unit; no tīrtha, river, or kṣetra is named, so it serves the mythic-epic layer rather than the text’s geographic cataloging.