Shloka 63

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

Devanagari script

स त्रिभिः शङ्करसुतैः पीड्यमानो जहौ पणम् ते प्राप्ताः शम्बरं तूर्णं प्रेक्ष्यमाणा गणेश्वराः

Transliteration

sa tribhiḥ śaṅkarasutaiḥ pīḍyamāno jahau paṇam te prāptāḥ śambaraṃ tūrṇaṃ prekṣyamāṇā gaṇeśvarāḥ

Translation

शंकराच्या तीन पुत्रांनी जोराने दडपल्यामुळे त्याने आपला डाव सोडून दिला; ते गणेश्वर त्याच्यावर लक्ष ठेवत त्वरेने शंबराजवळ पोहोचले।

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic voice) describing events to the primary listener (frame not specified in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Key Themes

• Andhaka cycle warfare
• Gaṇa leadership and Śaiva martial retinue
• Asura’s retreat under pressure

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are the ‘three sons of Śaṅkara’ in this battle context?

The phrase śaṅkara-suta can denote Śiva’s martial progeny or empowered ‘sons’/emanations in Purāṇic battle narration; in many Śaiva war episodes, Kumāra/Skanda and allied divine youths or gaṇa-leaders are grouped as Śiva’s ‘sons’ in a functional sense (as commanders acting under Śiva’s power). The excerpt alone does not name them, so identification depends on the surrounding verses.

Why does paṇa (‘wager’) mean ‘stratagem’ here?

In epic-Purāṇic idiom, paṇa can indicate a ‘stake’ or ‘undertaking’ in a contest; when an asura ‘abandons the paṇa,’ it often implies he drops the gambit or tactic he had set in motion as the ‘stake’ of the encounter—i.e., he gives up the attempted maneuver.

What is the narrative function of ‘gaṇeśvarāḥ watching closely’?

It signals coordinated pursuit: the gaṇa-leaders do not merely chase but keep Śambara under surveillance, preventing escape or a renewed magical counterattack—typical of Purāṇic battle choreography where asuras shift tactics rapidly.