Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 43
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
तच्छ्रुत्वा सुतरां त्रासो मम जातो ऽसुरेश्वर महार्णवं परित्यज्य पतितो ऽस्मि भयातुरः
tacchrutvā sutarāṃ trāso mama jāto 'sureśvara mahārṇavaṃ parityajya patito 'smi bhayāturaḥ
એ સાંભળીને, હે અસુરેશ્વર, મને અત્યંત ભય ઉપજ્યો. મહાસાગર ત્યજીને હું ભયાતુર થઈ પડી ગયો.
{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse uses a generic honorific—“lord of the Asuras”—without naming the addressee. In Andhaka-related cycles, such address commonly targets a leading Asura figure (e.g., Bali/Andhaka’s side), but the excerpt alone does not securely identify which one.
The ocean functions as a vast protective domain or last refuge. Leaving it signals that the fear is so overwhelming that even a normally secure realm cannot be maintained, marking a decisive turn in the episode.
It can be read literally (a fall from a position/vehicle) and also idiomatically as collapse or loss of composure. Puranic diction often allows both senses to heighten the emotional intensity.