Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 80
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
स संग्रामं परित्यज्य सालिग्राममुपाययौ बाणो ऽपि मकाराक्षेण ताडितो ऽभूत्पराङ्मुखः
sa saṃgrāmaṃ parityajya sāligrāmamupāyayau bāṇo 'pi makārākṣeṇa tāḍito 'bhūtparāṅmukhaḥ
ಅವನು ಯುದ್ಧವನ್ನು ತ್ಯಜಿಸಿ ಶಾಲಿಗ್ರಾಮಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳಿದನು; ಮಕರಾಕ್ಷನ ಹೊಡೆತದಿಂದ ಬಾಣನೂ ಮುಖ ತಿರುಗಿಸಿ ಸಮರದಿಂದ ಹಿಂದೆ ಸರಿದನು।
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FAQs
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.
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.
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.