Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 31

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

तन्निनादो महीं सर्वामापूर्य च नभस्तलम् विवेशार्णवरन्ध्रेण पातालं दानवालयम्

Transliteration

tanninādo mahīṃ sarvāmāpūrya ca nabhastalam viveśārṇavarandhreṇa pātālaṃ dānavālayam

Translation

அந்த முழக்கம் பூமியெங்கும் ஆகாயவெளியெங்கும் நிறைந்து, கடலின் ஒரு பிளவின் வழியாக தானவர்களின் வாசஸ்தலமான பாதாளத்தில் புகுந்தது।

Word by Word

• tat-ninādaḥ: that roar
• tat-ninādaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + nināda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana; Karmadhāraya: ‘that roar/sound’

• mahīm: the earth
• mahīm: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana

• sarvām: entire/all
• sarvām: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana; agrees with ‘mahīm’

• āpūrya: having filled
• āpūrya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√pṝ (धातु)
• Form: Ktvā-pratyaya (Absolutive/Gerund): ‘having filled’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• nabhas-talam: the sky/firmament
• nabhas-talam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘surface/expanse of the sky’

• viveśa: entered/penetrated
• viveśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√viś (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• arṇava-randhreṇa: through the ocean’s fissure
• arṇava-randhreṇa: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + randhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘through the ocean-opening/cleft’

• pātālam: Pātāla (netherworld)
• pātālam: Karma (कर्म/Object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana

• dānava-ālayam: the abode of the Dānavas
• dānava-ālayam: Karma (कर्म/Object apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘abode of the Dānavas’

Speakers

• Narrator voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing events to the listening sage(s) (contextual frame not explicit in the given excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Portent/omen
• Cosmic acoustics (sound pervading worlds)
• Asura realms (Pātāla, Dānava-ālaya)
• Approach of conflict (Andhaka cycle)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse emphasize the roar filling earth and sky before reaching Pātāla?

It marks the sound as a cosmic portent rather than an ordinary noise: it traverses the three vertical zones (earth, sky, netherworld), signaling that the coming event affects all realms and all beings, including the subterranean Asuras.

What is meant by ‘arṇava-randhra’ (a fissure in the ocean)?

Purāṇic cosmography often imagines openings or channels connecting surface waters to subterranean regions. ‘Arṇava-randhra’ functions as a narrative-cosmological conduit by which the sound reaches Pātāla.

Who are the Dānavas here?

Dānavas are a major Asura lineage (descendants of Danu). Calling Pātāla ‘dānava-ālaya’ situates the action in the Asura sphere and prepares for their collective reaction to the omen.