Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 56

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

पिङ्गलो दण्डमुद्याम्य यत्र यत्र प्रधावति तत्र तत्र प्रदृश्यन्ते राशयः शावदानवैः

Transliteration

piṅgalo daṇḍamudyāmya yatra yatra pradhāvati tatra tatra pradṛśyante rāśayaḥ śāvadānavaiḥ

Translation

平伽罗高举杖棍，随意奔走；他所到之处，皆可见达那婆的尸骸堆积成丘。

Word by Word

• पिङ्गलः: Piṅgala (name)
• पिङ्गलः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• दण्डम्: staff, club
• दण्डम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• उद्यम्य: having lifted/raised
• उद्यम्य: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-यम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); अव्ययभाव; अर्थः—उत्थाप्य/उद्धृत्य (having raised)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: देशाधिकरण (Adverbial-locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• यत्र: wherever
• यत्र: देशाधिकरण (Adverbial-locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• प्रधावति: runs forth, charges
• प्रधावति: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-धाव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: देशाधिकरण (Adverbial-locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (correlative adverb: there)

• तत्र: right there / in every such place
• तत्र: देशाधिकरण (Adverbial-locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• प्रदृश्यन्ते: are seen, appear
• प्रदृश्यन्ते: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense): 'are seen/appear'

• राशयः: heaps, piles
• राशयः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• शावदानवैः: with corpse-like Dānavas / with dead Dānavas
• शावदानवैः: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाव + दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुषभावः—शावैः (शवैरिव/शव-रूपैः) दानवैः / शावानां दानवैः (reading-dependent)

Speakers

• Narrator describing successive feats of Śiva’s Gaṇas in the battle.

Primary Deities

• Śiva
• Gaṇas (Piṅgala)

Key Themes

• Gaṇa heroics
• Battle-field imagery
• Asura defeat
• Protection of cosmic order

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is Piṅgala a deity, a Gaṇa, or a generic epithet meaning ‘tawny’?

In this context it functions as a proper name for a combatant among Śiva’s Gaṇas; while piṅgala can mean “tawny/reddish-brown,” the verse’s narrative style treats it as an individual warrior.

What is the significance of the ‘staff’ (daṇḍa) as a weapon here?

The daṇḍa is a common Purāṇic/epic weapon for attendants and guardians; it also resonates with the broader semantic field of daṇḍa as ‘punishment/discipline,’ aligning martial action with the restoration of order.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha or geographic marker typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. Despite the Vāmana Purāṇa’s strong geographic orientation in many sections, this battle verse is purely martial description and does not name any river, lake, forest, or pilgrimage site.