Vamana Purana — Slaying of Raktabija, Shloka 62
The Slaying of Raktabīja and Niśumbha–Śumbha; the Manifestation of the Mātṛkās and the Devas’ Hymn
ब्रह्माणी त्वं मृडानी वरशिखिगमना शक्तिहस्ता कुमारी वाराही त्वं सुवक्त्रा खगपतिगमना वैष्णवी त्वं सशार्ङ्गो दुर्दृश्या नारसिंही घुरघुरितरवा त्वं तथैन्द्री सवज्रा त्वं मारी चर्ममुण्डाशवगमनरता योगिनी योगसिद्धा
brahmāṇī tvaṃ mṛḍānī varaśikhigamanā śaktihastā kumārī vārāhī tvaṃ suvaktrā khagapatigamanā vaiṣṇavī tvaṃ saśārṅgo durdṛśyā nārasiṃhī ghuraghuritaravā tvaṃ tathaindrī savajrā tvaṃ mārī carmamuṇḍāśavagamanaratā yoginī yogasiddhā
Ngài là Brahmāṇī; Ngài là Mṛḍānī. Ngài là Kumārī, ngự trên chim công rực rỡ, tay cầm giáo. Ngài là Vārāhī, dung nhan đoan chính; Ngài là Vaiṣṇavī, đồng hành cùng chúa tể loài chim và mang cung Śārṅga. Ngài là Nārasiṃhī khó bề chiêm ngưỡng, tiếng gầm trầm vang; cũng vậy Ngài là Aindrī, tay cầm lôi chùy (vajra). Ngài là Mārī—ưa cưỡi ngựa, khoác da thú, đeo tràng sọ; Ngài là Yoginī, thành tựu các thần lực của yoga.
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FAQs
It clearly aligns with the Mātṛkā principle—male deities’ powers personified as goddesses (Brahmāṇī, Mṛḍānī/Māheśvarī, Kumārī, Vaiṣṇavī, Vārāhī, Nārasiṃhī, Aindrī). The inclusion of ‘Mārī’ and ‘Yoginī’ expands beyond the standard seven, indicating a wider Śākta field of fierce and yogic manifestations.
In Purāṇic stuti, vāhana (mount) and āyudha (weapon) function as compact identifiers of divine power-lines and roles. They also signal the Goddess as the operational energy (śakti) behind each deity’s cosmic function—war, protection, sovereignty, and the destruction of adharma.
It marks a fierce, liminal protective form: one who confronts impurity, death, and terror directly and thereby neutralizes them. Such imagery is typical of apotropaic Devi forms invoked for warding off calamities (including disease) and for safeguarding sacred space and pilgrims.