Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 10

The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

रोमश्मश्व्रक्षिकेशाद्याः सर्वे जाता हिरण्मयाः हिरण्यरेता लोकेषु तेन गीतश्च पावकः

Transliteration

romaśmaśvrakṣikeśādyāḥ sarve jātā hiraṇmayāḥ hiraṇyaretā lokeṣu tena gītaśca pāvakaḥ

Translation

{"scene_description": "A prophetic vow of descent: the Goddess (or divine power) addressing the assembled gods, indicating the Vindhya as the next theatre of protection for rishis and destruction of daityas.", "primary_figures": ["Devī (boon-giving divine power)", "Devas (Indra and the gods)", "Ṛṣis (as protected figures, implied)", "Daityas (as looming threat, implied)"], "setting": "Celestial assembly transitioning to a distant view of the Vindhya mountains and hermitages.", "color_palette": ["deep vermilion", "mountain green", "gold", "smoky grey", "sky blue"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style, gold leaf halos, Devī addressing the devas in a jeweled sabhā, ornate crowns, rich reds and greens, Vindhya mountains hinted in background, devotional iconography, high detail", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastels, gods seated in a courtly celestial pavilion, Devī gesturing toward stylized Vindhya hills and tiny rishi āśramas, delicate linework, serene yet heroic mood", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold outlines, natural pigments, Devī in commanding stance before devas, large expressive eyes, layered ornaments, Vindhya landscape band below with sages, temple-aesthetic composition", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra scroll style, narrative panel of Devī promising descent to Vindhya, devas in profile rows, patterned borders, flat perspective, natural dyes, symbolic mountains and hermitage motifs"}

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing the epithet and nature of Pāvaka/Agni within the cosmogonic account.

Primary Deities

• Pāvaka (Agni)

Key Themes

• Cosmogony and divine epithets
• Agni as purifier (pāvaka)
• Luminous/golden generative essence (hiraṇyaretas)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why is Agni called ‘Hiraṇyaretas’ here?

The verse provides an etymological-theological explanation: Agni’s generative essence (retas) is described as ‘golden’ (hiraṇya), signifying radiance, purity, and cosmic potency; hence the epithet ‘Hiraṇyaretas’ becomes a celebrated name for Pāvaka.

What is the significance of bodily features becoming ‘golden’?

In Purāṇic cosmology, ‘golden’ (hiraṇmaya) marks a transition into a luminous, divine state. The imagery signals that the being described has assumed a supra-human, radiant constitution consistent with cosmic functions like purification and creation.

Does this verse connect to tīrtha-geography in the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not directly. This śloka is cosmological and nominative (explaining an epithet). Geographic/tīrtha mapping is absent in the wording of 31.10.