Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 62
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
कूर्मग्रीवो ग्रीवयैव शिरमा चरणेन च लुण्ठनेन तता दैत्यान् निजघान सवाहनान्
kūrmagrīvo grīvayaiva śiramā caraṇena ca luṇṭhanena tatā daityān nijaghāna savāhanān
Kūrmagrīva struck down the Daityas with his neck itself, with his head, with his feet, and also by rolling over them; thus he slew the Daityas together with their mounts.
{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Purāṇic battle narration often amplifies heroic strength by depicting the body itself as weaponry. ‘Neck’ and ‘head’ imply ramming, butting, and crushing—forms of grappling combat that contrast with bow-and-arrow warfare.
It intensifies the victory: the enemy is not merely defeated individually, but their supporting mobility—mounts/vehicles—is also destroyed, indicating a rout and total disabling of the opposing force.
No avatar is indicated here. Kūrmagrīva functions as a named fighter within the narrative; the epithet (‘tortoise-necked’) is descriptive rather than theological.