Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 84
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
तस्मिन्हते भ्रातरि भग्नदर्पो भयातुरो ऽभून्महिषो महर्षे संत्यज्य संग्रामशिरो दुरात्मा जगाम शैलं स दिमाचलाख्यम्
tasminhate bhrātari bhagnadarpo bhayāturo 'bhūnmahiṣo maharṣe saṃtyajya saṃgrāmaśiro durātmā jagāma śailaṃ sa dimācalākhyam
その兄弟が討たれると、マヒシャ（Mahiṣa）は驕りを砕かれ、恐怖にとらわれた。おお大聖よ。戦の最前線を捨てたその邪悪なる者は、ディマーチャラ（Dimācala）と名づく山へ赴いた。
{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The name “Mahiṣa” can denote a buffalo-asura figure across traditions. This verse identifies a demon named Mahiṣa reacting to his brother’s death; whether it is identical with the later Devī-cycle Mahiṣāsura depends on the Purāṇa’s broader narrative context, which is not fully present in the excerpt.
It is an idiom for the ‘head’ or ‘forefront’ of battle—i.e., the decisive front line where leaders engage. Leaving it signals rout and loss of command presence.
In this verse it functions as a geographic refuge-marker (a named mountain). Some Purāṇic geographies later sacralize such sites, but here no tīrtha-mahima or ritual merit is stated—only the asura’s retreat location.