Adhyaya 5

Skanda portrays the exemplary king Amāvāsu (connected with the Vasu royal line), distinguished by disciplined virtues—dharma, filial devotion, self-control, non-violence, humility, and steadiness of mind. He maintains unbroken japa of the Nārāyaṇa mantra and worships by a well-ordered regimen (including a fivefold daily schedule): he offers first to Vāsudeva, then distributes the consecrated remnants (prasāda) to gods, ancestors, Brahmins, and dependents, and only last consumes what remains, establishing an ethic of sanctified consumption. He treats harm to living beings through meat-eating as a grave moral fault and models governance in which falsehood, malice, and even subtle wrongdoing are minimized. Devotion is linked to ritual tradition: Pāñcarātra teachers are honored, and kāmya, naimittika, and regular obligatory rites are performed in a sāttvata/Vaiṣṇava mode. Celestial recognition follows (gifts from Indra), yet the narrative warns that even the virtuous may fall through partiality or ill-spoken words among the gods. By renewed steadfast mantra-practice and bhakti he regains heavenly status, is reborn due to a paternal curse, and finally ascends—strengthening Vāsudeva-worship among sages and attaining Vāsudeva’s fearless supreme state.