Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 20
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
विश्वेश्विनौ साध्यमरुद्गणाग्नयो दिवाकराः शूलधरा महेश्वराः यक्षाः पिशाचा वसवो ऽथ किन्नराः ते स्वस्ति कुर्वन्तु सदोद्यतास्त्वमी // वम्प्_32.19 नागाः सुपर्णाः सरितः सरांसि तीर्थानि पुण्यायतनाः समुद्राः महाबला भूतगणा गणेन्द्राः ते स्वस्ति कुर्वन्तु सदा समुद्यताः
viśveśvinau sādhyamarudgaṇāgnayo divākarāḥ śūladharā maheśvarāḥ yakṣāḥ piśācā vasavo 'tha kinnarāḥ te svasti kurvantu sadodyatāstvamī // VamP_32.19 nāgāḥ suparṇāḥ saritaḥ sarāṃsi tīrthāni puṇyāyatanāḥ samudrāḥ mahābalā bhūtagaṇā gaṇendrāḥ te svasti kurvantu sadā samudyatāḥ
May the Viśvedevas, the Aśvins, the Sādhyas, the hosts of Maruts, the Fires (Agni-deities), the Suns, and the trident-bearers—the Maheśvaras—together with Yakṣas, Piśācas, Vasus, and Kinnaras, ever intent, grant you well-being. May Nāgas, Suparṇas (of the Garuḍa-kind), rivers, lakes, tīrthas—holy abodes of merit—oceans, mighty hosts of beings, and the lords of gaṇas, always ready, grant well-being.
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FAQs
Purāṇic benedictions often aim at comprehensive protection across all realms. By invoking devas, semi-divine classes, and even potentially harmful beings (e.g., piśācas), the text ritually ‘pacifies’ the entire cosmos so that no class obstructs the listener/reciter.
It encodes a key Māhātmya doctrine: sacred places are not merely locations but ‘seats’ where merit is generated and accessed. The phrase legitimizes pilgrimage and bathing/ritual acts as direct means of accruing puṇya.
Yes. Even in texts associated with Viṣṇu, Śaiva epithets and Śiva-linked hosts appear frequently, reflecting Purāṇic ecumenism and the practical aim of invoking all powerful agencies for auspiciousness.