Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 97
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
तस्मात् बहूनामर्थाय सक्रोञ्चं महिषासुरम् घातयस्व पराक्रम्य शक्त्या पावकदत्तया
tasmāt bahūnāmarthāya sakroñcaṃ mahiṣāsuram ghātayasva parākramya śaktyā pāvakadattayā
కాబట్టి అనేకుల హితార్థం, ఓ శక్రా, పరాక్రమించి పావకుడు (అగ్ని) ప్రసాదించిన శక్తి ఆయుధంతో మహిషాసురుణ్ని సంహరించు।
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FAQs
The phrase frames the combat as a dharmic necessity: the asura’s oppression is not merely a personal affront to the gods but a threat to cosmic and social order. Indra’s kingship (as devarāja) is justified by protecting the many, aligning royal power with loka-saṃgraha (maintenance of the world).
Agni as Pāvaka represents purifying, transformative power. A weapon bestowed by Agni signals divine sanction and ritual potency—victory is achieved not only by strength but by consecrated force. The śakti also functions as a narrative marker of ‘delegated power’ among devas.
The name and buffalo-asura motif overlap, but Purāṇic traditions often reframe shared figures across different narrative cycles. Here the focus is on Indra and deva-weaponry rather than the Devī’s central role; identification should be treated as typological (a Mahiṣa-asura) unless the surrounding chapter explicitly equates the episodes.