Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 52
The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra
सेनायाः पतिरस्त्वेष देवगन्धर्वकिंनराः महिषं घातयत्वेष तारकं च सुदारुणम्
senāyāḥ patirastveṣa devagandharvakiṃnarāḥ mahiṣaṃ ghātayatveṣa tārakaṃ ca sudāruṇam
“Wahai para Deva, Gandharva, dan Kiṃnara, biarlah dia menjadi panglima bala tentara. Biarlah dia menewaskan Mahiṣa dan juga Tāraka yang sangat mengerikan.”
{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse refers to “eṣa” (“this one”), pointing to a figure identified by the surrounding narrative (commonly Skanda/Kumāra in related Purāṇic cycles). The immediate line itself functions as a formal commissioning: the celestials designate a leader to defeat specific asuras.
The names align with well-known asura figures across Purāṇic literature, but each Purāṇa may compress, rearrange, or localize episodes. Here they function as emblematic adversaries whose defeat restores divine order; precise identification should be read with the chapter’s broader Andhaka-related frame.
Their inclusion signals a pan-celestial mobilization: not only the Devas but also attendant heavenly classes participate in the cosmic campaign, emphasizing the scale of the threat and the unity of the divine realm.