Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 154
स्कन्द उवाच । या गतिः शिवत्यागेन त्वत्त्यागेन च केशव । तां गतिं प्राप्नुयां क्षिप्रं हन्मि चेन्न हि तारकम्
skanda uvāca | yā gatiḥ śivatyāgena tvattyāgena ca keśava | tāṃ gatiṃ prāpnuyāṃ kṣipraṃ hanmi cenna hi tārakam
स्कन्द बोले—हे केशव! शिव का त्याग करने और तुम्हारा त्याग करने से जो गति होती है, यदि मैं तारक का वध न करूँ तो शीघ्र वही गति मुझे प्राप्त हो।
Skanda
Listener: Keśava
Scene: Skanda speaks directly: he swears that if he does not kill Tāraka, he deserves the dire fate of one who abandons Śiva and Keśava—an intense vow scene before battle.
FAQs
Devotion is inseparable from duty: Skanda binds himself by an oath that honors both Śiva and Keśava while committing to destroy adharma.
No specific sacred site is mentioned; the verse is part of the martial narrative leading to Tāraka’s destruction.
None; it is a vow (saṅkalpa) expressing accountability before the divine.