Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 46
The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn
तस्मिन्नपतिते रौद्रे सुरशत्रौ भयङ्करे चण्डाद्य मातरो हृष्टाश्चक्रुः किलकिलाध्वनिम्
tasminnapatite raudre suraśatrau bhayaṅkare caṇḍādya mātaro hṛṣṭāścakruḥ kilakilādhvanim
brahmāṇī: Śakti of Brahmā; mṛḍānī: Śakti/consort aspect of Mṛḍa (Śiva), i.e., Pārvatī/Śivā; kumārī: Śakti of Kumāra/Skanda (Kārttikeya); vara-śikhi-gamanā: ‘she whose movement/vehicle is the excellent peacock’ (śikhin = peacock); śakti-hastā: ‘spear-in-handed’ (śakti = spear/weapon); vārāhī: boar-faced/boar-power Goddess, Śakti of Varāha; su-vaktrā: ‘beautiful-faced’; khaga-pati-gamanā: ‘moving with the lord of birds’ (Garuda); vaiṣṇavī: Śakti of Viṣṇu; sa-śārṅgā: ‘with Śārṅga (Viṣṇu’s bow)’; durdṛśyā: ‘difficult to behold’ (awe-inspiring/terrible); nārasiṃhī: Śakti of Narasiṃha; ghura-ghurita-ravā: ‘with a rumbling, growling roar’; aindrī: Śakti of Indra; sa-vajrā: ‘bearing the vajra (thunderbolt)’; mārī: fierce Devi-name (often linked with epidemic/affliction-removal and boundary protection); carma: hide/skin garment; muṇḍa: severed head/skull; aśava-gamana-ratā: ‘delighting in horse-riding’ (aśva-gamana); yoginī: female yogic power-form, often a retinue/manifestation of Devi; yoga-siddhā: ‘perfected in yogic attainments’.
{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
They are the Mātṛkās—fierce, protective mother-goddesses who appear in Purāṇic battle scenes as Śakti-forces assisting the gods (often aligned with Śiva/Devī). The phrase “Caṇḍādyāḥ” signals a list beginning with a fierce form, emphasizing their terrifying, martial nature.
It denotes a sharp, ululating victory-cry (often associated with goddesses and warrior retinues). It marks the turning point of battle—public confirmation that the fearsome foe has been brought down.
No. Unlike the Vāmana Purāṇa’s many geography/tīrtha passages, this śloka is purely narrative and contains no explicit toponyms.