Vamana Purana — Battle at Mandara, Shloka 40
The Battle at Mandara: Vinayaka, Nandin, and Skanda Rout the Daitya Hosts
गणाधिपांस्तान् विमुखान् स कृत्वा बलन्वितो वीरतरो ऽसुरेन्द्रः समभ्यधावत् त्वरितो निहन्तुं गणेश्वरान् स्कन्दविशाखमुख्यान्
gaṇādhipāṃstān vimukhān sa kṛtvā balanvito vīrataro 'surendraḥ samabhyadhāvat tvarito nihantuṃ gaṇeśvarān skandaviśākhamukhyān
तान् गणाधिपान् विमुखीकृत्य बलसमन्वितो वीरतरः असुरेन्द्रः त्वरितं समभ्यधावत् निहन्तुं गणेश्वरान् स्कन्दविशाखमुख्यान्।
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FAQs
They are chiefs within Śiva’s gaṇas—his attendant hosts who function as a divine militia. The verse distinguishes between general gaṇa-leaders (gaṇādhipa) and prominent commanders (gaṇeśvara), emphasizing an organized hierarchy.
Skanda (Kārttikeya) is the paradigmatic commander of divine forces. “Viśākha” here functions as a leading martial figure associated with Skanda’s command—either as an epithet or as a named chief—marking the foremost targets of the asura’s charge.
No. This is a narrative-battle segment within the Andhaka-vadha cycle; it contains no explicit sacred-geography markers (rivers, forests, tīrthas) in the śloka itself.