Vamana Purana — Battle at Mandara, Shloka 44

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

Devanagari script

तमापतन्तं मुसलं प्रगृह्य करेण तूर्ण भगवान् स नन्दी जघान तेनैव कुजम्भमाहवे स प्राणहीनो निपपात भूमौ

Transliteration

tamāpatantaṃ musalaṃ pragṛhya kareṇa tūrṇa bhagavān sa nandī jaghāna tenaiva kujambhamāhave sa prāṇahīno nipapāta bhūmau

Translation

Dengan sigap Nandī yang mulia menangkap gada yang melayang itu; di medan perang ia memukul Kujambha dengan senjata yang sama, dan Kujambha pun tewas lalu roboh ke tanah.

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic recitation voice) continuing the battle description (exact interlocutors not specified in the supplied excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Shiva (implied)
• Nandī

Key Themes

• Reversal of weapons (enemy’s weapon used against him)
• Divine prowess of Śiva’s gaṇas
• Decisive slaying in battle

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Nandī called ‘bhagavān’ here?

In Purāṇic diction, ‘bhagavān’ can function as an honorific for beings endowed with extraordinary power and sanctity, not only for Viṣṇu or Śiva. Nandī, as Śiva’s principal gaṇa and emblem, is treated as a venerable, quasi-divine agent.

What is the narrative significance of using the same mace to kill Kujambha?

It highlights the superiority and composure of Nandī: the enemy’s aggression is neutralized and turned back upon him. This ‘weapon-reversal’ motif is common in epic-Purāṇic battle literature to signal dharmic or divinely-backed victory.

Does this verse contain any geographic/tīrtha data to index?

No. The only spatial term is generic ‘bhūmau’ (on the ground). Any geographic indexing must rely on adjacent passages where the battlefield or kṣetra is named.