Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 97

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

तस्मात् बहूनामर्थाय सक्रोञ्चं महिषासुरम् घातयस्व पराक्रम्य शक्त्या पावकदत्तया

Transliteration

tasmāt bahūnāmarthāya sakroñcaṃ mahiṣāsuram ghātayasva parākramya śaktyā pāvakadattayā

Translation

Darum, zum Wohle der Vielen, o Śakra, ziehe mutig aus und erschlage den Büffeldämon Mahiṣāsura mit der Śakti (Lanze), die dir Pāvaka (Agni) verliehen hat.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/causal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययप्रयोग (ablative used adverbially: therefore/from that)

• bahūnām: of many (people)
• bahūnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/for many)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• arthāya: for the sake
• arthāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/beneficiary-purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; प्रयोजन (for the sake of)

• sakroñcam: Sakroñca (proper name)
• sakroñcam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra + uñca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; proper name (as given in text)

• mahiṣāsuram: the buffalo-demon (Mahiṣāsura)
• mahiṣāsuram: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahiṣa + asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (buffalo-demon)

• ghātayasva: slay
• ghātayasva: Kriyā (क्रिया/command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ghātaya (णिजन्त causative of han/ghāt) (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative): cause to be slain = slay

• parākramya: having shown valor
• parākramya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: parā + kram (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा/ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund): having exerted valor/after advancing

• śaktyā: with the spear/weapon
• śaktyā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• pāvaka-dattayā: given by Pāvaka (Fire)
• pāvaka-dattayā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāvaka + datta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (pāvakena dattā = given by Fire), qualifies śaktyā

Speakers

• Unspecified speaker addressing Śakra (Indra) (context implies a divine exhortation within the battle narrative).

Primary Deities

• Indra (Śakra/Purandara/Śatakratu)
• Agni (Pāvaka)

Key Themes

• Protection of the many (loka-hita)
• Deva–Asura conflict
• Divine weaponry and empowerment
• Kṣātra-vīrya (heroic exertion)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Indra urged to kill Mahiṣāsura “for the welfare of many” (bahūnām arthāya)?

The phrase frames the combat as a dharmic necessity: the asura’s oppression is not merely a personal affront to the gods but a threat to cosmic and social order. Indra’s kingship (as devarāja) is justified by protecting the many, aligning royal power with loka-saṃgraha (maintenance of the world).

What is the significance of the śakti “given by Pāvaka (Agni)”?

Agni as Pāvaka represents purifying, transformative power. A weapon bestowed by Agni signals divine sanction and ritual potency—victory is achieved not only by strength but by consecrated force. The śakti also functions as a narrative marker of ‘delegated power’ among devas.

Is Mahiṣāsura here the same figure as in the Devī-Māhātmya tradition?

The name and buffalo-asura motif overlap, but Purāṇic traditions often reframe shared figures across different narrative cycles. Here the focus is on Indra and deva-weaponry rather than the Devī’s central role; identification should be treated as typological (a Mahiṣa-asura) unless the surrounding chapter explicitly equates the episodes.