Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 49

The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn

Devanagari script

निशुम्भं पतितं दृष्ट्वा शुम्भः क्रोधान्महामुने वृन्दारकं समारुह्य पाशपाणिः समभ्यगात्

Transliteration

niśumbhaṃ patitaṃ dṛṣṭvā śumbhaḥ krodhānmahāmune vṛndārakaṃ samāruhya pāśapāṇiḥ samabhyagāt

Translation

āpatantam: rushing/falling upon (attacking); sa-gajam: together with (i.e., mounted upon) an elephant; dānava-īśvara: lord of the Dānavas (Śumbha); jagrāha: took up, grasped; caturo vāṇān: four arrows; candrārdha-ākara-varcasaḥ: “of radiance like the crescent moon” (a poetic epithet for the goddess’s luminous aspect).

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Narrator (traditionally Pulastya) addressing a sage-listener (commonly Nārada); internal action describes Śumbha’s response to Niśumbha’s fall.

Primary Deities

• Devī (Ambikā/Durgā)

Key Themes

• Devī’s martial supremacy
• Daitya pride and retaliation
• Battle iconography (mounts and weapons)
• Krodha as a narrative trigger in yuddha episodes

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Vṛndāraka in this verse—an epithet or a place?

Here Vṛndāraka functions as a proper name for Śumbha’s mount (typically an elephant in the battle tableau). It is not presented as a tīrtha or geographic marker in this line.

Why is Śumbha described as pāśapāṇi (noose-bearing)?

The pāśa is a standard weapon motif signifying capture, restraint, and royal coercive power. In Devī–daitya battles it also contrasts with Devī’s superior, often effortless, countermeasures.

Does this verse contribute to Vāmana Purāṇa’s sacred geography?

Not directly. This is a narrative combat unit; no tīrtha, river, or kṣetra is named, so it serves the mythic-epic layer rather than the text’s geographic cataloging.