Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 38
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
यावत्सूकरूपेण प्रविशामि तमाश्रमम् न जाने तं नरं राजन् येन मे प्रहितः शरः
yāvatsūkarūpeṇa praviśāmi tamāśramam na jāne taṃ naraṃ rājan yena me prahitaḥ śaraḥ
ನಾನು ವರಾಹರೂಪದಿಂದ ಆ ಆಶ್ರಮಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ, ಓ ರಾಜನೇ, ನನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಬಾಣವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಯೋಗಿಸಿದವನು ಯಾವ ಮನುಷ್ಯನೋ ನನಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯದು।
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FAQs
Not necessarily. The speaker is Pātālaketu describing his own assumed form. Unless the surrounding passage explicitly identifies Viṣṇu, this is best read as a Daitya’s disguise (a common motif), distinct from the theological Varāha avatāra.
The anonymity underscores the hermitage’s protected status: the defender may be a siddha, a disciple, a guardian empowered by tapas, or a divine agent acting incognito. Purāṇic narratives often conceal the protector initially to heighten revelation and moral contrast.
The arrow marks the boundary-defense of sacred geography. It signals that entry into an āśrama with hostile intent is met with immediate retribution, reinforcing the dharmic inviolability of ascetic settlements.