Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 57

The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

अभिषिक्तं कुमारं च गिरिपुत्री निरीक्ष्य हि स्नेहादुत्सङ्गगं स्कन्दं मूर्ध्न्यजिघ्रन्मुर्हुर्मुहुः

Transliteration

abhiṣiktaṃ kumāraṃ ca giriputrī nirīkṣya hi snehādutsaṅgagaṃ skandaṃ mūrdhnyajighranmurhurmuhuḥ

Translation

[{"pada_word": "बाढम्", "root": "बाढम् (अव्यय)", "type": "Indeclinable", "sanskrit_type": "Avyaya", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "अव्यय; अनुमोदनार्थक-निपात (particle of assent)", "karaka_role": "Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्योपपादन)", "english_meaning": "certainly / indeed", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "इति", "root": "इति (अव्यय)", "type": "Indeclinable", "sanskrit_type": "Avyaya", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)", "karaka_role": "Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/उद्धरण)", "english_meaning": "thus", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "एव", "root": "एव (अव्यय)", "type": "Indeclinable", "sanskrit_type": "Avyaya", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)", "karaka_role": "Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/विशेषणार्थ)", "english_meaning": "indeed / just", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "भगवान्", "root": "भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)", "type": "Noun", "sanskrit_type": "Subanta", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)", "karaka_role": "Karta (कर्ता/Subject)", "english_meaning": "the Blessed Lord", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "समुत्तस्थौ", "root": "स्था (धातु)", "type": "Verb", "sanskrit_type": "Tinganta", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: सम्+उत्", "karaka_role": "Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)", "english_meaning": "rose up", "difficulty_level": 2}, {"pada_word": "वृषध्वजः", "root": "वृष-ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)", "type": "Noun", "sanskrit_type": "Subanta", "compound_type": "Tatpurusha", "grammatical_metadata": "पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वृषस्य ध्वजः)", "karaka_role": "Karta (कर्ता/Subject)", "english_meaning": "(Śiva) whose banner is the bull", "difficulty_level": 2}, {"pada_word": "सह", "root": "सह (अव्यय)", "type": "Indeclinable", "sanskrit_type": "Avyaya", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (preposition/adverb meaning 'with'); तृतीया-सहयोगे प्रयुज्यते", "karaka_role": "Sahakari (सहकारी/सहयोग)", "english_meaning": "together with", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "उमया", "root": "उमा (प्रातिपदिक)", "type": "Noun", "sanskrit_type": "Subanta", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन", "karaka_role": "Sahakari (सहकारी/सहयोग)", "english_meaning": "with Umā", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "कुटिलया", "root": "कुटिला (प्रातिपदिक)", "type": "Noun", "sanskrit_type": "Subanta", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम (proper name)", "karaka_role": "Sahakari (सहकारी/सहयोग)", "english_meaning": "with Kuṭilā", "difficulty_level": 2}, {"pada_word": "पावकेन", "root": "पावक (प्रातिपदिक)", "type": "Noun", "sanskrit_type": "Subanta", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन", "karaka_role": "Sahakari (सहकारी/सहयोग)", "english_meaning": "with Pāvaka (Agni)", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "च", "root": "च (अव्यय)", "type": "Indeclinable", "sanskrit_type": "Avyaya", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)", "karaka_role": "Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)", "english_meaning": "and", "difficulty_level": 1}, {"pada_word": "धीमता", "root": "धीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)", "type": "Adjective", "sanskrit_type": "Subanta", "compound_type": null, "grammatical_metadata": "पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)", "karaka_role": "Sahakari (सहकारी/सहयोग)", "english_meaning": "with the wise one", "difficulty_level": 2}]

Speakers

• Narrator describing Pārvatī’s response to Skanda’s installation.

Primary Deities

• Pārvatī (Giriputrī)
• Skanda (Kumāra/Kārttikeya)

Key Themes

• Maternal affection (vātsalya)
• Ritual-to-emotion transition (abhiṣeka followed by intimacy)
• Śaiva divine family
• Auspicious gestures

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the cultural meaning of ‘smelling the head’ (mūrdhny ajighrat) in Sanskrit literature?

It is a conventional gesture of deep affection and blessing, especially maternal—drawing the child close, inhaling their scent, and thereby expressing protection, intimacy, and auspicious approval.

Why does the text juxtapose military installation with maternal tenderness?

Purāṇas often balance royal/heroic functions with relational dharma: Skanda becomes senāpati by cosmic rite, yet remains Pārvatī’s child. This frames power as grounded in familial and devotional bonds, not mere force.

Does ‘Giriputrī’ carry geographical significance in the Vāmana Purāṇa’s style?

Yes, even when not naming a specific tīrtha, such epithets anchor the narrative in sacred geography: ‘daughter of the mountain’ evokes Himālaya and the broader Śaiva landscape where mountains are loci of tapas and divine manifestation.