Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 113
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
ततो गुहः प्राह हरिं सुरेशं मोहेन नष्टो भगवन् विवेकः भ्राता मया मातुलजो निरस्तस्तस्मात् करिष्ये स्वशरीरशोषम्
tato guhaḥ prāha hariṃ sureśaṃ mohena naṣṭo bhagavan vivekaḥ bhrātā mayā mātulajo nirastastasmāt kariṣye svaśarīraśoṣam
Sau đó Guha nói với Hari, Chúa tể của các vị thần: “Ôi Đấng Thế Tôn, do mê lầm mà sự sáng suốt của con đã bị tiêu diệt. Con đã xua đuổi anh trai mình, con của cậu con. Vì vậy, con sẽ thực hiện việc hủy hoại thân xác mình (khổ hạnh).”
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FAQs
Guha admits that under moha (delusion) he expelled a close kin—specifically a mātulaja (maternal-uncle’s son). In Purāṇic ethics, harming or dishonoring family/kin is a serious adharma; the text highlights that such acts arise when viveka (moral discrimination) collapses under passion, anger, or confusion.
It denotes extreme self-mortification—fasting or austerities aimed at ‘drying’ the body. Many Purāṇas acknowledge tapas, but frequently redirect penitents toward regulated prāyaścitta, especially tīrtha-snāna and devotion, as safer and dharmically balanced means of purification.
In tīrtha-mahātmyas, the deity who grants the remedy is often praised with sovereignty titles. Calling Viṣṇu ‘sureśa’ underscores his authority to prescribe expiation and confer restoration of fortune and radiance, which the next verses explicitly promise.