Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 57
The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn
श्रुत्वा सुराः सुररिपु निहतौ मृडान्या सेन्द्राः ससूर्यमरुदश्विवसुप्रधानाः आगत्य तं गिरिवरं विनयावनम्रा देव्यास्तदा स्तुतिपदं त्विदमीरयन्तः // वम्प्_30.55 देवा ऊचुः/ नमो ऽस्तु ते भगवति पापनाशिनि नमो ऽस्तु ते सुररिपुदर्पशातनि नमो ऽस्तु ते हरिहरराज्यदायिनि नमो ऽस्तु ते मखभुजकार्यकारिणि // वम्प्_30.56 नमो ऽस्तु ते त्रिदशरिपुक्षयङ्करि नमो ऽस्तु ते शतमखपादपूजिते नमो ऽस्तु ते महिषविनासकारिणि नमो ऽस्तु ते हरिहरभास्करस्तुते
śrutvā surāḥ suraripu nihatau mṛḍānyā sendrāḥ sasūryamarudaśvivasupradhānāḥ āgatya taṃ girivaraṃ vinayāvanamrā devyāstadā stutipadaṃ tvidamīrayantaḥ // VamP_30.55 devā ūcuḥ/ namo 'stu te bhagavati pāpanāśini namo 'stu te suraripudarpaśātani namo 'stu te harihararājyadāyini namo 'stu te makhabhujakāryakāriṇi // VamP_30.56 namo 'stu te tridaśaripukṣayaṅkari namo 'stu te śatamakhapādapūjite namo 'stu te mahiṣavināsakāriṇi namo 'stu te hariharabhāskarastute
[{"question": "Why does the text place Devī ‘in Nanda’s house as Yaśodā’?", "answer": "It frames divine intervention through intimate, human-scale settings: the ‘house of Nanda’ signals a pastoral/domestic milieu where Devī can operate covertly or maternally. The name Yaśodā here functions as a Devī-form within a broader catalogue of manifestations, not merely as a character in a separate tradition."}, {"question": "What is meant by slaying Śumbha and Niśumbha ‘with a blow of the teeth’?", "answer": "The phrase daśana-prahāra emphasizes ferocity and immediacy—Devī’s power is so direct that even a ‘tooth-strike’ suffices. It is a poetic intensifier rather than a literal anatomical detail to be pressed in isolation."}, {"question": "How does Śākambharī relate to the gods’ welfare in the Tiṣya age?", "answer": "Śākambharī is the nourishing Devī who ‘supports’ (bhariṣyāmi) beings during scarcity or calamity. By locating this in the Tiṣya age and linking it to Indra’s sphere (Śatakratu’s house), the verse ties cosmic governance (Indra) to sustenance theology (Devī as provider)."}]
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The epithet frames Devī as the enabling śakti behind divine governance: even the highest deities exercise rule effectively through her power. In Purāṇic theology, this is a common way to assert Devī’s supremacy while still honoring Viṣṇu and Śiva as principal cosmic administrators.
‘Makha-bhuja’ points to Indra as the recipient/enjoyer of sacrificial offerings. Calling Devī the accomplisher of his ‘kārya’ indicates she restores the sacrificial order disrupted by asuras—so that yajña, rain, and prosperity can function again.
In these lines it is generic (‘an excellent mountain’) and functions as a sacred stage for the gods’ approach and hymn. Without an explicit toponym, it cannot be securely identified with a particular named tīrtha or mountain in the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographical catalog.