Vamana Purana — Battle at Mandara, Shloka 55

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

Devanagari script

तान् निवृत्तान् समीक्ष्यैव क्रोधदीप्तेक्षणः श्वशसन् नन्दिषेणो व्याघ्रमुखो निवृत्तश्चापि वेगवान्

Transliteration

tān nivṛttān samīkṣyaiva krodhadīptekṣaṇaḥ śvaśasan nandiṣeṇo vyāghramukho nivṛttaścāpi vegavān

Translation

Ao vê-los retornar, Nandiṣeṇa—com o olhar ardendo de ira, resfolegando—e também Vyāghramukha, veloz e impetuoso, voltaram-se para enfrentá-los.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice describing the gaṇa leaders’ reaction to the Asura return.

Primary Deities

• Śiva

Key Themes

• Wrath as martial energy (krodha as vīrya)
• Gaṇa commanders and named attendants
• Counter-charge and pursuit motifs
• Mythic bestial epithets (Vyāghramukha)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is Vyāghramukha a separate person from Nandiṣeṇa, or an epithet of him?

The syntax can be read either as apposition (Nandiṣeṇa, ‘Tiger-faced’) or as two coordinated gaṇa figures (Nandiṣeṇa and Vyāghramukha). Purāṇic catalogues often list both as distinct attendants; without wider context, both readings remain plausible.

What is conveyed by ‘krodha-dīpta-īkṣaṇaḥ śvaśasan’?

It is a vivid battle trope: wrath manifests physically as blazing eyes and forceful breath. The phrase intensifies the gaṇa’s ferocity and signals an imminent counter-attack.

Does ‘nivṛtta’ here mean retreat or advance?

It means ‘turned back/returned’. Since the Daityas have ‘returned’ to battle in the prior verse, the gaṇa leader likewise ‘turns back’—i.e., wheels around to confront them, implying a renewed engagement rather than withdrawal.