Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha Shloka 80 - Vamana Purana | Japanese | Vedapath

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Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 80

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

स संग्रामं परित्यज्य सालिग्राममुपाययौ बाणो ऽपि मकाराक्षेण ताडितो ऽभूत्पराङ्मुखः

Transliteration

sa saṃgrāmaṃ parityajya sāligrāmamupāyayau bāṇo 'pi makārākṣeṇa tāḍito 'bhūtparāṅmukhaḥ

Translation

戦いを捨てて、彼はシャーリグラーマ（Śāligrāma）へ赴いた。さらにバーナ（Bāṇa）も、マカーラークシャ（Makārākṣa）に打たれて戦場から背を向け、退走した。

Word by Word

सःhe

संग्रामम्battle

परित्यज्यhaving abandoned

सालिग्रामम्to Śāligram(a) (place)

उपाययौwent/approached

बाणःBāṇa

अपिalso/even

मकाराक्षेणby (one) ‘Makārākṣa’

ताडितःstruck

अभूत्became

पराङ्मुखःturned away/backward-facing

Speakers

Narrator voice; no direct speech in the verse.

Primary Deities

Viṣṇu (by association with Śāligrāma)Gaṇeśvara(s) (contextual opponents in the battle sequence)

Key Themes

Retreat and regroupingSanctuary at a sacred siteVaiṣṇava sacred geography embedded in martial narrativeDefeat and reversal (parāṅmukhatā)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is ‘Śāligrāma’ in Purāṇic geography?

Śāligrāma is a renowned sacred locality, classically associated with the Gandakī region and with naturally occurring śālagrāma stones revered as Viṣṇu’s emblem. In Purāṇic narrative, ‘going to Śāligrāma’ can imply seeking refuge, merit, or divine protection at a Vaiṣṇava tīrtha.

Does the verse imply a pilgrimage act (tīrtha-yātrā) or a tactical withdrawal?

The immediate context is battlefield retreat (‘saṃgrāmaṃ parityajya’). Yet the choice of destination—Śāligrāma—adds a religious layer: withdrawal is framed through sacred geography, suggesting the defeated party seeks auspicious ground or protection.

Who is Makārākṣa here?

Makārākṣa (‘crocodile-eyed’) appears as a named/epithetic warrior who strikes Bāṇa. Without adjacent verses, it is safest to treat Makārākṣa as a combatant in this chapter’s Daitya–Gaṇa conflict rather than importing identities from other epics.