Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 64
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
ततस्तत्सैन्यमतुलं वध्यमानं गणेश्वरैः प्रदुद्रावाथ महिषस्तारकश्च गणाग्रणीः
tatastatsainyamatulaṃ vadhyamānaṃ gaṇeśvaraiḥ pradudrāvātha mahiṣastārakaśca gaṇāgraṇīḥ
そのとき、ガネーシュヴァラ（シヴァの眷属軍の主）らに討ち減らされていた比類なき軍勢は崩れ、逃走した。折しも、ガナの中の首領であるマヒシャとターラカもまた、その潰走の中を走り出た。
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FAQs
They are the commanders/lords among Śiva’s gaṇas (attendant hosts). In battle passages, the term emphasizes organized divine militias under Śiva’s sovereignty rather than the single deity Gaṇeśa alone.
The names overlap with well-known demon figures (e.g., Tāraka of Skanda traditions; Mahiṣa of Devī traditions). In Purāṇic battle cycles, such names can function as recurring archetypal opponents or as distinct individuals sharing the same appellations, depending on the recension and narrative layer.
It marks a turning point: the opposing host loses cohesion under gaṇa assault, setting up subsequent single-combat episodes where named champions are slain by specific gaṇa leaders (as in the next verses).