Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 89
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
दैत्यं प्रविष्टं स पिनाकिसूनुर्जुगोप यत्नाद् भगवान् सुहो ऽपि स्वबन्धुहन्ता भविता कथं त्वहं संचिन्तयन्नेव ततः स्थितो ऽभूत् // वम्प्_32.88 ततो ऽभ्यगात् पुष्करसंभवस्तु हरो मुरारिस्त्रिदसेश्वरश्च अभ्येत्य चोचुर्महिषं सशैलं भिन्दस्व शक्त्या कुरु देवकार्यम्
daityaṃ praviṣṭaṃ sa pinākisūnurjugopa yatnād bhagavān suho 'pi svabandhuhantā bhavitā kathaṃ tvahaṃ saṃcintayanneva tataḥ sthito 'bhūt // VamP_32.88 tato 'bhyagāt puṣkarasaṃbhavastu haro murāristridaseśvaraśca abhyetya cocurmahiṣaṃ saśailaṃ bhindasva śaktyā kuru devakāryam
Als der Daitya eingetreten war, hielt sich der Sohn des Pināka-Trägers (Skanda), obgleich ein gesegneter Held, mit Sorgfalt zurück und dachte: „Wie könnte ich zum Töter meiner eigenen Verwandten werden?“ So stand er dort, in Nachsinnen versunken. Da kamen Brahmā, aus dem Lotos geboren, Hara (Śiva), Murāri (Viṣṇu) und Indra, der Herr der Götter. Sie traten heran und sprachen: „Spalte mit der Macht deines Speeres diesen Büffeldämon samt dem Berge; vollbringe das Werk der Götter.“
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FAQs
The verse frames a dharma-conflict: the enemy is also ‘svabandhu’ (kin). In Purāṇic ethics, even righteous violence can be morally weighty when it entails killing relatives; Skanda pauses to consider the implications before accepting a divine mandate.
Their joint approach functions as a narrative seal of legitimacy: the act is not personal vengeance but ‘deva-kārya’—a cosmic duty endorsed by the highest divine authorities, emphasizing inter-deity concord in restoring order.
The text uses ‘mahiṣa’ as a demon-identifier (buffalo-form asura). Without additional surrounding verses, it is safest to read it as a buffalo-demon within this chapter’s Andhaka/daitya cycle rather than automatically equating it with the Devī-myth’s Mahīṣāsura; Purāṇas often reuse such demon-forms across different episodes.