Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 27

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

तमन्वेव गणाः सर्वे दत्ता ये मुदितैः सुरैः अनुजग्मुः कुमारं ते कामरूपा विहङ्गमाः

Transliteration

tamanveva gaṇāḥ sarve dattā ye muditaiḥ suraiḥ anujagmuḥ kumāraṃ te kāmarūpā vihaṅgamāḥ

Translation

一切伽那（gaṇa）——即诸天欢喜所赐与他的众从——立刻随行其后。那些似鸟之众，能随意变现形相，亦随侍童子神库玛罗（Kumāra，即斯坎达 Skanda）。

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (continuation of the frame narration)

Primary Deities

• Skanda (Kumara/Guha)
• Devas (Suras)
• Ganas

Key Themes

• Divine retinues (gaṇa theology)
• Boons/assignments by the devas
• Shape-shifting and aerial mobility in Purāṇic cosmology
• Skanda’s command and following

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are these ‘gaṇas’—Śiva’s gaṇas or Skanda’s attendants?

The term is flexible. In Skanda contexts it commonly denotes martial/attendant hosts aligned with him (often overlapping with broader Śaiva gaṇa imagery). The verse specifies they were ‘bestowed by the devas’, indicating an officially granted retinue for Skanda’s mission.

What is the significance of calling them ‘kāmarūpā vihaṅgamāḥ’?

It marks them as non-human, liminal beings: aerial (vihaṅgama) and protean (kāmarūpa). Such descriptors explain how the entourage can traverse vast sacred geographies quickly—important in a Purāṇa that frequently moves across tīrthas and regions.

Does ‘dattā ye muditaiḥ suraiḥ’ imply a prior episode?

Yes. It presupposes an earlier moment where the gods, pleased with Skanda, grant him forces/companions. Even if not fully narrated here, the line anchors the entourage in divine sanction rather than mere happenstance.