Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 38
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
यावत्सूकरूपेण प्रविशामि तमाश्रमम् न जाने तं नरं राजन् येन मे प्रहितः शरः
yāvatsūkarūpeṇa praviśāmi tamāśramam na jāne taṃ naraṃ rājan yena me prahitaḥ śaraḥ
હું સૂકરરૂપે તે આશ્રમમાં પ્રવેશતો હતો ત્યારે, હે રાજન, મારા પર બાણ કોણે છોડ્યું તે મનુષ્ય કોણ હતો તે મને જાણ નથી।
{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Not necessarily. The speaker is Pātālaketu describing his own assumed form. Unless the surrounding passage explicitly identifies Viṣṇu, this is best read as a Daitya’s disguise (a common motif), distinct from the theological Varāha avatāra.
The anonymity underscores the hermitage’s protected status: the defender may be a siddha, a disciple, a guardian empowered by tapas, or a divine agent acting incognito. Purāṇic narratives often conceal the protector initially to heighten revelation and moral contrast.
The arrow marks the boundary-defense of sacred geography. It signals that entry into an āśrama with hostile intent is met with immediate retribution, reinforcing the dharmic inviolability of ascetic settlements.