Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 97
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
तस्मात् बहूनामर्थाय सक्रोञ्चं महिषासुरम् घातयस्व पराक्रम्य शक्त्या पावकदत्तया
tasmāt bahūnāmarthāya sakroñcaṃ mahiṣāsuram ghātayasva parākramya śaktyā pāvakadattayā
Ainsi donc, pour le bien de la multitude, ô Śakra, avance avec vaillance et tue Mahiṣāsura, le démon-buffle, au moyen de la śakti (lance) accordée par Pāvaka (Agni).
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FAQs
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).
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.
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.