Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 117
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
देवात् स वव्रे वरमायुधार्थे चक्रं तथा वै रिपुबाहुषण्डम् छिन्द्याद्यथा त्वप्रतिमं करेण बाणस्य तन्मे भगवान् ददातु
devāt sa vavre varamāyudhārthe cakraṃ tathā vai ripubāhuṣaṇḍam chindyādyathā tvapratimaṃ kareṇa bāṇasya tanme bhagavān dadātu
అతడు దేవుని వద్ద ఆయుధార్థంగా వరం కోరెను—నీ అప్రమేయమైన చేతితో బాణుని శత్రువుల భుజసమూహం ఛేదింపబడునట్లు ఒక చక్రం. ఆ వరాన్ని భగవంతుడు నాకు దయచేయుగాక.
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FAQs
Purāṇic literature frequently allows weapon-forms to circulate across deities as manifestations of divine power rather than exclusive property. Here, the cakra functions as a paradigmatic severing weapon suited to the narrative need (cutting many arms), while still remaining compatible with Śiva’s role as supreme boon-giver in this episode.
Bāṇa is a famed asura/king in Purāṇic myth, often described as possessing numerous arms—symbolizing overwhelming martial capacity and hubris. The requested boon targets precisely that excess power: severing the arms is a narrative way of curbing adharma without annihilating the cosmic order outright.
The phrase elevates Śiva’s agency: the weapon’s efficacy is grounded in the deity’s unmatched power. It also frames the boon as a delegated extension of Śiva’s own capacity—legitimizing the act of subduing Bāṇa as divinely sanctioned.