Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 115
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
इत्येवमुक्तो हरिणा कुमारस्त्वभ्येत्य तीर्थं प्रसमीक्ष्य शंभुम् स्नात्वार्च्य देवान् स रविप्रकाशो जगाम शैलं सदनं हरस्य
ityevamukto hariṇā kumārastvabhyetya tīrthaṃ prasamīkṣya śaṃbhum snātvārcya devān sa raviprakāśo jagāma śailaṃ sadanaṃ harasya
وهكذا، لما أُرشد من هاري (Hari)، أقبل الفتى إلى التيرثا؛ وبعد أن عاين شَمبهو (Śambhu) على الوجه اللائق، واغتسل وعبد الآلهة، مضى—متلألئًا ببريق الشمس—إلى الجبل، مسكن هارا (Hara).
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FAQs
It indicates a complete tīrtha-protocol: bathing (snāna), darśana of the presiding deity (here Śiva as Śambhu), and formal worship that may include offerings to associated deities. This frames the act as orthodox pilgrimage practice rather than a single isolated rite.
Mountains are classic markers of Śiva’s sacred geography (e.g., Kailāsa archetype). Even without naming the specific śaila, the text signals a transition from expiation at a tīrtha to sustained proximity to Śiva’s domain—symbolizing reintegration into auspicious, protected space after purification.
Yes. Mahātmya narratives often externalize inner purification as visible tejas. The phrase ‘sa ravi-prakāśaḥ’ functions as narrative verification that the prescribed tīrtha-snāna and Śiva-bhakti successfully removed the moral taint that prompted Guha’s repentance.