Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 7

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

अथोमा प्राह तनयं पुत्र एह्येहि शत्रुहन् वन्दस्व चरणौ दिव्यौ विष्णोर्लोकनमस्कृतौ

Transliteration

athomā prāha tanayaṃ putra ehyehi śatruhan vandasva caraṇau divyau viṣṇorlokanamaskṛtau

Translation

Kemudian Umā berkata kepada puteranya: “Wahai anak, datanglah ke mari—wahai pembunuh musuh—tunduklah menyembah kaki ilahi Viṣṇu, yang dihormati oleh segala dunia.”

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequence particle: ‘then’)

• umā: Umā
• umā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• prāha: said
• prāha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āh (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; धातु: अह्/ब्रू (to say) उपसर्ग: प्र

• tanayam: to (her) son
• tanayam: Karma (कर्म/ संबोधन-लक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• putra: O son
• putra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• ehi: come
• ehi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; धातु: इ (to go/come)

• ehi: come (again)
• ehi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• śatru-han: O slayer of enemies
• śatru-han: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatru (प्रातिपदिक) + han (धातु/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समास: शत्रून् हन्ति इति (enemy-slayer)

• vandasva: salute / bow to
• vandasva: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vand (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; धातु: वन्द् (to salute)

• caraṇau: (the two) feet
• caraṇau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• divyau: divine
• divyau: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन; विशेषण

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• loka-namaskṛtau: saluted by the world
• loka-namaskṛtau: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + namaskṛta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन; समास: लोकेन नमस्कृतौ (saluted by the world)

Speakers

• Umā (Pārvatī) addressing her son Skanda (Guha/Kārttikeya).

Primary Deities

• Uma (Parvati)
• Skanda (Karttikeya/Guha)
• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava concord (mutual reverence)
• Devotional etiquette (pāda-vandana)
• Universal sovereignty of Viṣṇu (loka-namaskāra)
• Formation of Skanda’s dhārmic character

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why does Umā instruct Skanda to bow specifically to Viṣṇu’s feet?

Feet (pāda) symbolize refuge and lordship in bhakti idiom. By directing Skanda to Viṣṇu’s feet ‘saluted by the worlds,’ the text emphasizes Viṣṇu’s universal status and models inter-sectarian reverence within the divine family.

Does ‘śatruhan’ imply a specific battle episode here?

Not necessarily in this verse. It functions as an epithet forecasting Skanda’s role as commander and demon-slayer, while he is simultaneously being taught humility and devotion.

How does this verse reflect Purāṇic theology?

It presents a harmonizing theology: even within a Śaiva narrative space, Viṣṇu is acknowledged as universally venerable, reinforcing the Purāṇic tendency toward integrated pantheons and shared dharma.