Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 10

The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

रोमश्मश्व्रक्षिकेशाद्याः सर्वे जाता हिरण्मयाः हिरण्यरेता लोकेषु तेन गीतश्च पावकः

Transliteration

romaśmaśvrakṣikeśādyāḥ sarve jātā hiraṇmayāḥ hiraṇyaretā lokeṣu tena gītaśca pāvakaḥ

Translation

[{"question": "Why is Vindhya singled out here?", "answer": "Vindhya functions as a charged mythic-geographic zone in Purāṇic literature—often a frontier of ascetic settlements and demonic disturbance. The verse frames the Devi’s descent as a localized intervention to secure ṛṣi-communities and re-stabilize dharma."}, {"question": "Does “surālaya” mean a specific heaven?", "answer": "Surālaya is a general Purāṇic term for the gods’ realm, commonly identified with Svarga/Triviṣṭapa. Here it marks the completion of the mission: after daitya-suppression, the divine power returns to the celestial order."}, {"question": "What is the theological point of “again” (bhūyaḥ) repeated?", "answer": "The repetition emphasizes cyclical divine intervention: whenever hostile forces threaten sages and cosmic balance, the deity manifests repeatedly, not as a one-time event but as an ongoing guardianship of dharma."}]

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing the epithet and nature of Pāvaka/Agni within the cosmogonic account.

Primary Deities

• Pāvaka (Agni)

Key Themes

• Cosmogony and divine epithets
• Agni as purifier (pāvaka)
• Luminous/golden generative essence (hiraṇyaretas)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Agni called ‘Hiraṇyaretas’ here?

The verse provides an etymological-theological explanation: Agni’s generative essence (retas) is described as ‘golden’ (hiraṇya), signifying radiance, purity, and cosmic potency; hence the epithet ‘Hiraṇyaretas’ becomes a celebrated name for Pāvaka.

What is the significance of bodily features becoming ‘golden’?

In Purāṇic cosmology, ‘golden’ (hiraṇmaya) marks a transition into a luminous, divine state. The imagery signals that the being described has assumed a supra-human, radiant constitution consistent with cosmic functions like purification and creation.

Does this verse connect to tīrtha-geography in the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not directly. This śloka is cosmological and nominative (explaining an epithet). Geographic/tīrtha mapping is absent in the wording of 31.10.