Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 31

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

तन्निनादो महीं सर्वामापूर्य च नभस्तलम् विवेशार्णवरन्ध्रेण पातालं दानवालयम्

Transliteration

tanninādo mahīṃ sarvāmāpūrya ca nabhastalam viveśārṇavarandhreṇa pātālaṃ dānavālayam

Translation

Tiếng gầm ấy tràn ngập khắp cõi đất và cả khoảng trời, rồi theo một khe nứt trong biển mà lọt vào Pātāla, nơi cư trú của các Dānava.

Word by Word

• tat-ninādaḥ: that roar
• tat-ninādaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + nināda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana; Karmadhāraya: ‘that roar/sound’

• mahīm: the earth
• mahīm: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana

• sarvām: entire/all
• sarvām: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana; agrees with ‘mahīm’

• āpūrya: having filled
• āpūrya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√pṝ (धातु)
• Form: Ktvā-pratyaya (Absolutive/Gerund): ‘having filled’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• nabhas-talam: the sky/firmament
• nabhas-talam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘surface/expanse of the sky’

• viveśa: entered/penetrated
• viveśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√viś (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• arṇava-randhreṇa: through the ocean’s fissure
• arṇava-randhreṇa: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + randhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘through the ocean-opening/cleft’

• pātālam: Pātāla (netherworld)
• pātālam: Karma (कर्म/Object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana

• dānava-ālayam: the abode of the Dānavas
• dānava-ālayam: Karma (कर्म/Object apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā (Acc/2nd), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘abode of the Dānavas’

Speakers

• Narrator voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing events to the listening sage(s) (contextual frame not explicit in the given excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Portent/omen
• Cosmic acoustics (sound pervading worlds)
• Asura realms (Pātāla, Dānava-ālaya)
• Approach of conflict (Andhaka cycle)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse emphasize the roar filling earth and sky before reaching Pātāla?

It marks the sound as a cosmic portent rather than an ordinary noise: it traverses the three vertical zones (earth, sky, netherworld), signaling that the coming event affects all realms and all beings, including the subterranean Asuras.

What is meant by ‘arṇava-randhra’ (a fissure in the ocean)?

Purāṇic cosmography often imagines openings or channels connecting surface waters to subterranean regions. ‘Arṇava-randhra’ functions as a narrative-cosmological conduit by which the sound reaches Pātāla.

Who are the Dānavas here?

Dānavas are a major Asura lineage (descendants of Danu). Calling Pātāla ‘dānava-ālaya’ situates the action in the Asura sphere and prepares for their collective reaction to the omen.