Vamana Purana — Battle at Mandara, Shloka 48

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

Devanagari script

ततो ऽस्य नन्दी कुलिसेन तृर्ण शिरो ऽच्छिनत् तालफलप्रकाशम् हतो ऽथ भूमौ निपपात वेगाद् दैत्याश्च भीता विगता दिशो दश

Transliteration

tato 'sya nandī kulisena tṛrṇa śiro 'cchinat tālaphalaprakāśam hato 'tha bhūmau nipapāta vegād daityāśca bhītā vigatā diśo daśa

Translation

Kemudian Nandi, dengan vajranya, memenggal kepalanya yang bersinar seperti buah lontar. Setelah terbunuh, ia jatuh ke tanah, dan para Daitya yang ketakutan melarikan diri ke sepuluh penjuru.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice continuing the combat description.

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Nandin

Key Themes

• Decisive victory of Śiva’s forces
• Asuric rout and fear
• Poetic simile (tāla fruit)
• Cosmic space imagery (ten directions)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does the “tāla fruit” simile convey?

It emphasizes visibility and shape: the severed head is imagined as round and conspicuous, flashing in motion—an aesthetic device common in Purāṇic yuddha-varṇana.

Why mention “ten directions” in a battle scene?

It signals total rout: the Daityas do not retreat in an organized line but scatter everywhere, a conventional marker of panic and the collapse of morale.

Is there any tīrtha-geography embedded in this verse?

Not in this unit. Unlike the Vāmana Purāṇa’s tīrtha sections, these lines are purely martial narration without place-names.