Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 57

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

सहस्रनयनः शूलं भ्रामयन् वै गणाग्रणीः निजघानासुरान् वीरः सवाजिरथकुञ्जरान्

Transliteration

sahasranayanaḥ śūlaṃ bhrāmayan vai gaṇāgraṇīḥ nijaghānāsurān vīraḥ savājirathakuñjarān

Translation

सहस्रनयनः शूलं भ्रामयन् गणाग्रणीर्वीरः सवाजिरथकुञ्जरान् असुरान् निजघान।

Word by Word

• सहस्रनयनः: the thousand-eyed one
• सहस्रनयनः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र + नयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—सहस्रं नयनानि यस्य

• शूलम्: trident, spear
• शूलम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• भ्रामयन्: whirling
• भ्रामयन्: कर्ता (Karta/Agent, participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः—भ्रामयन् (causing to whirl)

• वै: indeed
• वै: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• गणाग्रणीः: leader of the gaṇas
• गणाग्रणीः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण + अग्रणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—गणानाम् अग्रणीः

• निजघान: slew, struck down
• निजघान: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असुरान्: asuras, demons
• असुरान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• वीरः: the hero
• वीरः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणभावे कर्तरि पुनरुक्ति

• सवाजिरथकुञ्जरान्: along with their horses, chariots, and elephants
• सवाजिरथकुञ्जरान्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + वाजि + रथ + कुञ्जर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—वाजि-रथ-कुञ्जरैः सह (सह-समास/उपपद-तत्पुरुषभावः)

Speakers

• Narrator continuing the catalogue of Gaṇa champions and their battlefield actions.

Primary Deities

• Śiva
• Gaṇas (Sahasranayana)

Key Themes

• Gaṇa commanders
• Epic battle conventions
• Destruction of enemy war-machines
• Triumph of divine forces

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is ‘Sahasranayana’ meant to indicate Indra here?

Although ‘Sahasranayana’ is a well-known epithet of Indra, the verse explicitly calls him gaṇāgraṇīḥ (“leader of the Gaṇas”), indicating a Gaṇa commander bearing that epithet/name within Śiva’s host in this narrative context.

What does the phrase ‘with horses, chariots, and elephants’ emphasize?

It signals total battlefield dominance: not only are the warriors slain, but the entire military apparatus—cavalry, chariot corps, and elephant divisions—is neutralized, a standard Purāṇic marker of rout.

Does ‘śūla’ here imply Śiva’s trident (triśūla)?

Śūla can denote a spear or pike and may evoke Śiva’s iconic weaponry by association, but the verse does not specify triśūla; it primarily conveys a heavy piercing weapon being whirled in combat.