Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 74

The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

सूचीवक्त्रः कोकनदः प्रहासः प्रियको ऽच्युतः गणाः पञ्चदशैते हि यक्षैर्दत्ता गुहस्य तु

Transliteration

sūcīvaktraḥ kokanadaḥ prahāsaḥ priyako 'cyutaḥ gaṇāḥ pañcadaśaite hi yakṣairdattā guhasya tu

Translation

“（又有：）针面者（Sūcīvaktra）、红莲者（Kokanada）、欢笑者（Prahāsa）、可爱者（Priyaka）与不堕者（Acyuta）。这十五位伽那确由夜叉（Yakṣa）赐与古诃（Guha）。”

Word by Word

• sūcīvaktraḥ: Sūcīvaktra (needle-faced; name)
• sūcīvaktraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūcī-vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kokanadaḥ: Kokanada (name)
• kokanadaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kokanada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• prahāsaḥ: Prahāsa (name)
• prahāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• priyakaḥ: Priyaka (name)
• priyakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• acyutaḥ: Acyuta (name)
• acyutaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• gaṇāḥ: gaṇas (attendant groups)
• gaṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• pañcadaśa: fifteen
• pañcadaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca-daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral adjective (संख्याविशेषण), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agreeing with gaṇāḥ

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis/indeed

• yakṣaiḥ: by the Yakṣas
• yakṣaiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• dattāḥ: given
• dattāḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/participial predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (दा धातु) + ta (क्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agreeing with gaṇāḥ

• guhasya: of Guha (Kārttikeya)
• guhasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/indeed

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Purāṇic dialogue (exact interlocutors not provided) summarizing the gaṇa count and their yakṣa provenance.

Primary Deities

• Skanda (Guha/Kārttikeya)
• Yakṣas (as a collective class; implicitly Kubera’s sphere)

Key Themes

• Skanda’s attendants
• Yakṣa–Skanda relationship
• Enumeration and ritual memory (smaraṇa) of names

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is ‘Acyuta’ (usually Viṣṇu) listed as a gaṇa name?

Purāṇic onomastics frequently reuse major divine epithets as names for subordinate beings. Here ‘Acyuta’ functions as a proper name within Skanda’s gaṇa list, without implying identity with Viṣṇu unless the surrounding text explicitly makes that equation.

What does it mean that the gaṇas were ‘given by the Yakṣas’ to Guha?

It indicates a transfer of allegiance or assignment of attendants—Yakṣa beings (often linked to Kubera and liminal/sacred spaces) are portrayed as contributing to Skanda’s retinue, reflecting syncretic networks of worship and guardianship in tīrtha settings.

Is the number ‘fifteen’ textually important?

Yes. Such fixed counts help ritual recitation and mnemonic preservation. The verse functions like a colophon for the list: it closes the enumeration by stating the total and their origin.