Shloka 40

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

Devanagari script

गणाधिपांस्तान् विमुखान् स कृत्वा बलन्वितो वीरतरो ऽसुरेन्द्रः समभ्यधावत् त्वरितो निहन्तुं गणेश्वरान् स्कन्दविशाखमुख्यान्

Transliteration

gaṇādhipāṃstān vimukhān sa kṛtvā balanvito vīrataro 'surendraḥ samabhyadhāvat tvarito nihantuṃ gaṇeśvarān skandaviśākhamukhyān

Translation

ครั้นทำให้บรรดาหัวหน้าแห่งคณะคณะคณะ (คณะคณะ) ถอยร่นแล้ว อสูรินทรผู้ทรงพละและกล้าหาญยิ่งก็พุ่งเข้ามาอย่างรีบร้อน เพื่อสังหารเหล่าเจ้าแห่งคณะคณะ นำโดยสกันทะและวิศาขะ

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic voice) describing the battle; no direct speech in this verse.

Primary Deities

• Śiva (implicit)
• Skanda (Kārttikeya)
• Viśākha

Key Themes

• Gaṇa–Daitya conflict
• Martial valor (vīrya)
• Protection of Śiva’s hosts
• Command structure of divine armies

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are the “gaṇādhipas” and “gaṇeśvaras” in this context?

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.

Why are Skanda and Viśākha singled out?

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.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha or geographic data typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

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.