Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 87
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
स पृष्ठतः प्रेक्ष्य शिकण्डिकेतनं समापतन्तं वरशक्तिपाणिनम् कैलासमुत्सृज्य हिमाचलं तथा क्रौञ्चं समभ्येत्व गुहं विवेश
sa pṛṣṭhataḥ prekṣya śikaṇḍiketanaṃ samāpatantaṃ varaśaktipāṇinam kailāsamutsṛjya himācalaṃ tathā krauñcaṃ samabhyetva guhaṃ viveśa
পিছনে তাকিয়ে সে দেখল—ময়ূর-ধ্বজধারী, উৎকৃষ্ট শক্তি হাতে, কুমার তার দিকে ধেয়ে আসছেন। কৈলাস ত্যাগ করে সে হিমাচলে পৌঁছাল; এবং ক্রৌঞ্চ পর্বতের নিকটে গিয়ে এক গুহায় প্রবেশ করল।
{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse uses a chain of well-known sacred mountains to ‘map’ the chase. This is characteristic of Purāṇic geography: narrative motion is anchored in recognizable topographic nodes, turning mythic pursuit into a sacral itinerary.
It is an identifying epithet of Skanda: his emblem/banner bears the peacock (śikhaṇḍin). Combined with ‘vara-śakti-pāṇin’, it unmistakably marks the pursuer as Kumāra in his martial iconography.
Yes. Krauñca-parvata appears across Skanda-related lore (including the well-known ‘Krauñca-bheda’ motif in wider tradition). Even when the specific episode differs, the mountain functions as a Skanda-associated landmark within the Purāṇic sacred landscape.