Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 46
The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn
तस्मिन्नपतिते रौद्रे सुरशत्रौ भयङ्करे चण्डाद्य मातरो हृष्टाश्चक्रुः किलकिलाध्वनिम्
tasminnapatite raudre suraśatrau bhayaṅkare caṇḍādya mātaro hṛṣṭāścakruḥ kilakilādhvanim
You are Brahmāṇī; you are Mṛḍānī. You are Kumārī, who moves with the splendid peacock, holding the spear in your hand. You are Vārāhī, fair-faced; you are Vaiṣṇavī, who moves with the lord of birds and bears the Śārṅga bow. You are the hard-to-beheld Nārasiṃhī, whose roar is a deep, rumbling sound; likewise you are Aindrī, bearing the thunderbolt. You are Mārī—delighting in riding the horse, clad in hide, and adorned with a garland of skulls; you are Yoginī, accomplished in yogic powers.
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FAQs
They are the Mātṛkās—fierce, protective mother-goddesses who appear in Purāṇic battle scenes as Śakti-forces assisting the gods (often aligned with Śiva/Devī). The phrase “Caṇḍādyāḥ” signals a list beginning with a fierce form, emphasizing their terrifying, martial nature.
It denotes a sharp, ululating victory-cry (often associated with goddesses and warrior retinues). It marks the turning point of battle—public confirmation that the fearsome foe has been brought down.
No. Unlike the Vāmana Purāṇa’s many geography/tīrtha passages, this śloka is purely narrative and contains no explicit toponyms.