Shloka 12
द्वैतवन-सरः प्रवेशविघ्नः
Dvaītavana Lake: Obstructed Entry
एष वीराष्टक: प्रोक्त: स्कन्दमातृगणोद्धव: । छागवकक््त्रेण सहितो नवक: परिकीर्त्यते,शिशु और मातृगणोंको लेकर जो आठ व्यक्ति होते हैं, उन्हें “वीराष्टक” कहा गया है। बकरेके-से मुखसे युक्त स्कन्दको सम्मिलित करनेसे यह समुदाय वीर-नवक कहा जाता है
eṣa vīrāṣṭakaḥ proktaḥ skandamātṛgaṇoddhavaḥ | chāgavakaktrena sahito navakaḥ parikīrtyate ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “This group is declared to be the ‘Vīrāṣṭaka’—the eight heroic beings that arise in connection with Skanda and the host of Mother-goddesses. When Skanda, distinguished by a goat-like face, is included with them, the collective is then spoken of as a ‘Vīra-navaka’, the ninefold heroic group.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies protective divine forces into a structured set: eight ‘vīras’ associated with Skanda and the Mother-goddesses are called the Vīrāṣṭaka; adding Skanda (noted here by a distinctive goat-faced form) makes the set nine, the Vīra-navaka. The emphasis is on naming and recognizing sacred groupings used in mythic-ritual contexts.
Mārkaṇḍeya is explaining a traditional enumeration: a group of eight beings connected with Skanda and the Mātṛkās is identified and given a formal name, and then the count is expanded to nine by explicitly including Skanda, yielding a second formal designation.