Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 54

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

शङ्कुकर्णश्च मुसली हलेनाकृष्य दानवान् संचूर्णयति मन्त्रीव राजानं प्रासभृद् वशी

Transliteration

śaṅkukarṇaśca musalī halenākṛṣya dānavān saṃcūrṇayati mantrīva rājānaṃ prāsabhṛd vaśī

Translation

ແລະ ສັງກຸກັນນະ (Śaṅkukarṇa) ຜູ້ຖືຄ້ອນມຸສະລະ (musala) ດຶງດານະວະ (dānava) ດ້ວຍໄຖ (hala) ແລ້ວບົດຂີ້ຝຸ່ນພວກເຂົາ—ດັ່ງລັດຖະມົນຕີຜູ້ມີອໍານາດ ຂົ່ມຂູ່ກະສັດຜູ້ຖືຫອກ।

Word by Word

• शङ्कु-कर्णः: Śaṅkukarṇa (name)
• शङ्कु-कर्णः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कु (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (one whose ears are like spikes/pegs)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• मुसली: club-bearing
• मुसली: विशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुसलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (club-bearing)

• हलेन: with a plough
• हलेन: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• आकृष्य: having dragged
• आकृष्य: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √कृष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having dragged/pulled’

• दानवान्: demons (Dānavas)
• दानवान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• संचूर्णयति: he crushes to powder
• संचूर्णयति: क्रिया (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √चूर्ण् (धातु, denominative from चूर्ण)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मन्त्री: a minister/counsellor
• मन्त्री: उपमान (Upamāna/Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इव: like
• इव: उपमान-सम्बन्ध (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• राजानम्: a king
• राजानम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रास-भृत्: spear-bearer
• प्रास-भृत्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रास (प्रातिपदिक) + √भृ (धातु) → भृत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (spear-bearer)

• वशी: powerful, in control
• वशी: विशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (self-controlled/powerful)

Speakers

• Narrator (paurāṇika voice) continuing the sequence of individual feats in battle.

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Andhaka-vadha
• Battle narrative
• Weapon symbolism (musala, hala)
• Simile from polity (minister vs king)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Does ‘halenākṛṣya’ imply Balarāma’s presence?

Not necessarily. ‘Hala’ is a common noun meaning plough and can function as a weapon in purāṇic battle scenes. Without explicit identification (e.g., ‘Baladeva’, ‘Saṅkarṣaṇa’), it is best read as weapon-description of Śaṅkukarṇa.

What is the point of the simile ‘like a minister (to) a king’?

It imports a political metaphor into battlefield narration: just as a dominant minister can reduce a king’s agency and ‘crush’ his authority, so Śaṅkukarṇa overwhelms even formidable, weapon-bearing opponents.

Are any tīrthas or rivers encoded in this verse?

No. The verse contains no explicit toponyms (rivers, lakes, forests, tīrthas). Its focus is on combat action and a statecraft simile.