Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 9
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
तं माता प्राह वचनं कृते कर्मणि पद्मभूः वक्ष्यते तव यो ऽयं हि महात्मा गरुडध्वजः
taṃ mātā prāha vacanaṃ kṛte karmaṇi padmabhūḥ vakṣyate tava yo 'yaṃ hi mahātmā garuḍadhvajaḥ
Mẹ của ngài nói những lời này: “Khi nghi lễ đã được cử hành xong, Padmabhū (Phạm Thiên) sẽ nói với con; bởi bậc đại hồn này ở đây—Đấng mang cờ hiệu Garuḍa (Viṣṇu)—sẽ tuyên bày điều ấy cho con.”
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FAQs
Given the immediate narrative frame in the following verses (explicit mention of Pārvatī in 32.11), ‘mātā’ is best read as Pārvatī addressing her son Skanda. The passage functions as a didactic pivot: Skanda is directed toward higher theological clarification from Brahmā and especially Viṣṇu (Garuḍadhvaja).
In Purāṇic idiom, karma often denotes a prescribed rite (vrata, yajña, pūjā, or a consecratory act) whose completion qualifies the recipient for instruction or vision. The verse signals that the teaching is not casual; it is ritually conditioned and authoritative.
‘Garuḍadhvaja’ is a standard epithet emphasizing Viṣṇu’s sovereign status and iconographic identity (banner marked by Garuḍa). In this chapter’s theological arc, it also anticipates Viṣṇu’s role as the ultimate clarifier of divine hierarchy and refuge.