Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 114
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
तं प्राह विष्णुर्व्रज तीर्थवर्थं पृथूदकं पापतरोः कुठारम् स्नात्वौघवत्यां हरमीक्ष्य भक्त्या भविष्यसे सूर्यसमप्रभावः
taṃ prāha viṣṇurvraja tīrthavarthaṃ pṛthūdakaṃ pāpataroḥ kuṭhāram snātvaughavatyāṃ haramīkṣya bhaktyā bhaviṣyase sūryasamaprabhāvaḥ
विष्णू त्याला म्हणाला— “पापवृक्ष तोडणाऱ्या कुऱ्हाडीसारख्या श्रेष्ठ तीर्थ पृथूदकाला जा. ओघवतीत स्नान करून आणि भक्तीने हराचे दर्शन घेऊन तू सूर्याप्रमाणे तेजस्वी होशील.”
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FAQs
Pṛthūdaka is a named tīrtha, widely associated in broader Purāṇic/Itihāsa geography with the Kurukṣetra sacred region. The verse uses a standard mahātmya metaphor: sin is a deeply rooted ‘tree’ (pāpa-taru), and the tīrtha functions like an axe (kuṭhāra) that cuts it down decisively—i.e., it is presented as a powerful prāyaścitta-site.
The prescription combines karma (ritual act: snāna) and bhakti (devotional act: darśana). Theologically, it also models Shaiva–Vaishnava concord: Viṣṇu authorizes and directs the penitent toward Śiva’s darśana, implying complementary salvific roles rather than sectarian rivalry.
In Purāṇic idiom, solar radiance indicates restored tejas: purity, auspiciousness, and regained spiritual-luster after expiation. It can imply both an outwardly visible splendor and an inward rehabilitation of merit and dignity.