Vamana Purana — Battle at Mandara, Shloka 28

The Battle at Mandara: Vinayaka, Nandin, and Skanda Rout the Daitya Hosts

Devanagari script

तत्प्रभग्नं बलं दृष्ट्वा गणनाथो विनायकः समाद्रवत वेगेन तुहुण्डं दनुरुङ्गवम्

Transliteration

tatprabhagnaṃ balaṃ dṛṣṭvā gaṇanātho vināyakaḥ samādravata vegena tuhuṇḍaṃ danuruṅgavam

Translation

ആ സൈന്യം തകർന്നതു കണ്ടു, ഗണനാഥനായ വിനായകൻ ദാനവയോദ്ധാക്കളിൽ അഗ്രഗണ്യനായ തുഹുണ്ഡനെ നേരിടാൻ വേഗത്തിൽ പാഞ്ഞു।

Speakers

• Narrator (Sūta/Itihāsa-style narration) describing the battle to the listening sages (frame not explicit in the given excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Gaṇeśa (Vināyaka)
• Śiva (implied, as lord of the gaṇas)

Key Themes

• Andhaka-vadha cycle
• Deva–Asura conflict
• Gaṇeśa as martial protector
• Protection of dharma through divine hosts

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Tuhuṇḍa in this passage?

Tuhuṇḍa is presented as a prominent Dānava (asura) combatant—‘dānava-uṅgava’—an epithet marking him as an elite warrior among the demons opposing the divine side in the Andhaka-vadha war-cycle.

Why is Gaṇeśa called Gaṇanātha and Vināyaka here?

‘Gaṇanātha’ emphasizes his command over Śiva’s gaṇas (divine attendants), while ‘Vināyaka’ highlights his function as the remover of obstacles—here expressed in a martial register as he removes the obstruction posed by the asura champion.

Does this verse contain any tirtha or geographic reference typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. This is a pure battle-description unit; the Vāmana Purāṇa alternates between geography/tīrtha material and mythic cycles like Andhaka-vadha, and this verse belongs to the latter.