Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 62
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
कूर्मग्रीवो ग्रीवयैव शिरमा चरणेन च लुण्ठनेन तता दैत्यान् निजघान सवाहनान्
kūrmagrīvo grīvayaiva śiramā caraṇena ca luṇṭhanena tatā daityān nijaghāna savāhanān
கூர்மக்ரீவன் தன் கழுத்தினாலேயே, தலையால், கால்களால், மேலும் உருண்டு புரளுவதாலும் தைத்தியர்களை அவர்களின் வாகனங்களுடன் வீழ்த்தினான்।
{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Purāṇic battle narration often amplifies heroic strength by depicting the body itself as weaponry. ‘Neck’ and ‘head’ imply ramming, butting, and crushing—forms of grappling combat that contrast with bow-and-arrow warfare.
It intensifies the victory: the enemy is not merely defeated individually, but their supporting mobility—mounts/vehicles—is also destroyed, indicating a rout and total disabling of the opposing force.
No avatar is indicated here. Kūrmagrīva functions as a named fighter within the narrative; the epithet (‘tortoise-necked’) is descriptive rather than theological.