Shloka 12
The Slaying of Madhu
Establishment of the Name ‘Madhusūdana’
अथ तेषां शिरांस्येष छित्वा चैव सहस्रशः । पातयामास देवेशो दैत्यानां च सुरात्मनाम्
atha teṣāṃ śirāṃsyeṣa chitvā caiva sahasraśaḥ | pātayāmāsa deveśo daityānāṃ ca surātmanām
तेव्हा देवेशाने त्यांच्या मस्तकांचे सहस्रशः छेदन करून ते भूमीवर पाडले—दैत्यांचेही आणि देवांतील उदात्त-आत्म्यांचेही।
Narrator (contextual third-person narration within the Adhyaya)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: vira
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शिरांस्येष = शिरांसि + ईषः; चैव = च + एव; देवेशो = देव-ईशः.
FAQs
“Deveśa” means “Lord of the gods.” The verse uses it as a title for the divine leader in the battle narrative; the specific deity is determined by the surrounding verses of Adhyaya 72.
The verse portrays decisive divine intervention against adharma in a cosmic conflict framework, a common Purāṇic way of emphasizing the restoration of order (dharma) when forces of disruption prevail.
In Purāṇic narration, such scenes are typically symbolic of dharma overcoming adharma and the removal of destructive tendencies; the ethical thrust is the protection of cosmic and social order rather than personal violence.