Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 14
Svastyayana and Victory
पुलस्त्य उवाच शृणु स्वस्त्ययनं पुण्यं यत्प्राह भगवान् हरिः स्कन्दस्य विजयार्थाय महिषस्य वधाय च
pulastya uvāca śṛṇu svastyayanaṃ puṇyaṃ yatprāha bhagavān hariḥ skandasya vijayārthāya mahiṣasya vadhāya ca
Sinabi ni Pulastya: “Makinig ka sa mapagpala at marangal na svastyayana na ipinahayag ng pinagpalang Hari—para sa tagumpay ni Skanda at sa pagpaslang kay Mahiṣa.”
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FAQs
‘Mahiṣa’ denotes a buffalo(-demon) adversary to be slain in Skanda’s campaign. While later and parallel traditions prominently feature Devī’s slaying of Mahiṣāsura, Purāṇic corpora can preserve variant or localized martial cycles where different deities (including Skanda) confront buffalo-form demons. Identification depends on the chapter’s ensuing narrative details.
Purāṇic theology treats righteous combat as requiring both martial prowess and dhārmic sanction. The svastyayana functions as protective and success-conferring speech-act (śānti/maṅgala), aligning the undertaking with cosmic order and removing obstacles (vighna).
By stating ‘yat prāha bhagavān hariḥ’ (‘which Hari himself proclaimed’), Pulastya grounds the rite in divine revelation, elevating it from customary auspiciousness to a specifically empowered, tradition-bearing formula.