Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 87
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
स पृष्ठतः प्रेक्ष्य शिकण्डिकेतनं समापतन्तं वरशक्तिपाणिनम् कैलासमुत्सृज्य हिमाचलं तथा क्रौञ्चं समभ्येत्व गुहं विवेश
sa pṛṣṭhataḥ prekṣya śikaṇḍiketanaṃ samāpatantaṃ varaśaktipāṇinam kailāsamutsṛjya himācalaṃ tathā krauñcaṃ samabhyetva guhaṃ viveśa
பின்னால் திரும்பிப் பார்த்தபோது, மயில்-கொடி உடையவன், சிறந்த சக்தியை கையில் ஏந்தி தன்னை நோக்கி பாய்ந்து வருவதை அவன் கண்டான். கைலாசத்தை விட்டுவிட்டு ஹிமாசலத்தை அடைந்து, கௌஞ்ச மலைக்கு அருகே சென்று ஒரு குகையில் புகுந்தான்।
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FAQs
The verse uses a chain of well-known sacred mountains to ‘map’ the chase. This is characteristic of Purāṇic geography: narrative motion is anchored in recognizable topographic nodes, turning mythic pursuit into a sacral itinerary.
It is an identifying epithet of Skanda: his emblem/banner bears the peacock (śikhaṇḍin). Combined with ‘vara-śakti-pāṇin’, it unmistakably marks the pursuer as Kumāra in his martial iconography.
Yes. Krauñca-parvata appears across Skanda-related lore (including the well-known ‘Krauñca-bheda’ motif in wider tradition). Even when the specific episode differs, the mountain functions as a Skanda-associated landmark within the Purāṇic sacred landscape.