Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 49

Shukra’s Saṃjīvanī, Shiva’s Containment of the Asuras, and Indra’s Recovery of Power

Devanagari script

अश्वग्रीवो विशाखं च शाखो वृत्रमयोधयत् वाणस्तथा नैगमेयं बलं राक्षसपुङ्गवः

Transliteration

aśvagrīvo viśākhaṃ ca śākho vṛtramayodhayat vāṇastathā naigameyaṃ balaṃ rākṣasapuṅgavaḥ

Translation

阿湿婆格利瓦（Aśvagrīva）与毗舍佉（Viśākha）交战；舍佉（Śākha）与弗利陀罗（Vṛtra）相斗；同样，罗刹之雄婆那（Vāṇa）也与奈伽梅耶（Naigameya）交锋。

Speakers

• Narrator continuing the duel roster within the Andhaka battle account

Primary Deities

• Skanda/Kārttikeya (implicit association via Naigameya/Viśākha in broader mythic usage)
• Shiva (implicit in Andhaka cycle)

Key Themes

• Purāṇic onomastics (epithets as names)
• Intertextual figures (Vṛtra, Vāṇa) in battle catalogues
• Deva–Asura/Rākṣasa antagonism

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is ‘Vṛtra’ here the same Vṛtra slain by Indra?

The name strongly evokes the Vedic Vṛtra, but Purāṇas sometimes reuse renowned names as living combatants in later cycles or as distinct figures sharing an epithet. Without additional verses, it is safest to treat it as a combatant named Vṛtra within this catalogue, resonating with the older myth.

Who is Naigameya in Purāṇic tradition?

Naigameya is commonly linked with Skanda/Kārttikeya’s circle (sometimes as a gaṇa/attendant). In this verse he appears as a named opponent in the duel list, suggesting the Deva/gaṇa side of the conflict.

Does the epithet ‘rākṣasapuṅgava’ change Vāṇa’s identity from Asura to Rākṣasa?

Purāṇic texts can apply ‘rākṣasa’ broadly to fierce, non-deva antagonists. Here it functions as a valorizing martial epithet (“foremost among rākṣasas”) rather than a strict taxonomic statement.