Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 89
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
दैत्यं प्रविष्टं स पिनाकिसूनुर्जुगोप यत्नाद् भगवान् सुहो ऽपि स्वबन्धुहन्ता भविता कथं त्वहं संचिन्तयन्नेव ततः स्थितो ऽभूत् // वम्प्_32.88 ततो ऽभ्यगात् पुष्करसंभवस्तु हरो मुरारिस्त्रिदसेश्वरश्च अभ्येत्य चोचुर्महिषं सशैलं भिन्दस्व शक्त्या कुरु देवकार्यम्
daityaṃ praviṣṭaṃ sa pinākisūnurjugopa yatnād bhagavān suho 'pi svabandhuhantā bhavitā kathaṃ tvahaṃ saṃcintayanneva tataḥ sthito 'bhūt // VamP_32.88 tato 'bhyagāt puṣkarasaṃbhavastu haro murāristridaseśvaraśca abhyetya cocurmahiṣaṃ saśailaṃ bhindasva śaktyā kuru devakāryam
ເມື່ອພວກໄດຕະຍະເຂົ້າມາ ບຸດແຫ່ງຜູ້ຖືພິນາກະ (ສະກັນດະ) ແມ່ນແມ່ນວີລະບຸລຸດຜູ້ມີພຣະພອນ ແຕ່ກໍຍັງຍັບຍັ້ງຕົນດ້ວຍຄວາມພະຍາຍາມ ຄິດວ່າ: «ຂ້ອຍຈະເປັນຜູ້ຂ້າຍາດພີ່ນ້ອງຂອງຕົນໄດ້ແນວໃດ?» ດັ່ງນັ້ນລາວຈຶ່ງຢືນຢູ່ ຈົມຢູ່ໃນການຄິດພິຈາລະນາ. ແລ້ວພຣະພຣະຫມາ ຜູ້ເກີດຈາກດອກບົວ, ຮະຣະ (ສິວະ), ມຸຣາຣິ (ວິສນຸ) ແລະ ອິນທຣະ ຈອມເທວະ ກໍມາຮອດ; ເຂົ້າໄປໃກ້ແລ້ວກ່າວວ່າ: «ຈົ່ງແຍກຜີຄວາຍນີ້ພ້ອມທັງພູເຂົາ ດ້ວຍອຳນາດຫອກຂອງເຈົ້າ; ຈົ່ງສຳເລັດກິດຂອງເທວະ»។
{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse frames a dharma-conflict: the enemy is also ‘svabandhu’ (kin). In Purāṇic ethics, even righteous violence can be morally weighty when it entails killing relatives; Skanda pauses to consider the implications before accepting a divine mandate.
Their joint approach functions as a narrative seal of legitimacy: the act is not personal vengeance but ‘deva-kārya’—a cosmic duty endorsed by the highest divine authorities, emphasizing inter-deity concord in restoring order.
The text uses ‘mahiṣa’ as a demon-identifier (buffalo-form asura). Without additional surrounding verses, it is safest to read it as a buffalo-demon within this chapter’s Andhaka/daitya cycle rather than automatically equating it with the Devī-myth’s Mahīṣāsura; Purāṇas often reuse such demon-forms across different episodes.