Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 93
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
एवं जानन् धर्ममग्र्यं सुरेन्द्रा नाहं हन्यां भातरं मातुलेयम् यदा दैत्यो निर्गामिष्यद् गुहान्तः तदा शक्त्या घातायिष्यामि शत्रुम्
evaṃ jānan dharmamagryaṃ surendrā nāhaṃ hanyāṃ bhātaraṃ mātuleyam yadā daityo nirgāmiṣyad guhāntaḥ tadā śaktyā ghātāyiṣyāmi śatrum
“Knowing thus the foremost dharma, O lord of the gods, I will not kill my brother, my maternal cousin. When the daitya comes out from within the cave, then I shall strike down the enemy with my spear.”
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FAQs
The verse distinguishes between protected kin (who should not be killed under ordinary dharma) and a hostile daitya framed as a public threat. The counsel attempts to preserve kinship-dharma while permitting necessary violence against an external enemy.
It implies a rule-like restraint: avoid killing in a protected/ambiguous space (the cave as refuge) and act only when the enemy presents himself openly. This resembles dharmic ‘fair combat’ motifs—violence is bounded by conditions.
Yes. In dharma literature, relations through the maternal line carry specific obligations and protections. Naming ‘mātuleya’ underscores that the contemplated killing would violate a recognized kinship duty.