Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 92

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

गां ब्राह्मणं वृद्धमथाप्तवाक्यं बालं स्वबन्धुं ललनामदुष्टाम् कृतापराधा अपि नैव वध्या आचार्यमुख्या गुरवस्तथैव

Transliteration

gāṃ brāhmaṇaṃ vṛddhamathāptavākyaṃ bālaṃ svabandhuṃ lalanāmaduṣṭām kṛtāparādhā api naiva vadhyā ācāryamukhyā guravastathaiva

Translation

“Bò; bà-la-môn; người già; người có lời nói đáng tin; trẻ nhỏ; thân quyến của mình; và người phụ nữ trong sạch, không tì vết—những người ấy, dù có phạm lỗi, cũng không được giết. Cũng vậy, các bậc thầy đứng đầu trong hàng giáo thọ và các vị guru của mình đều không được sát hại.”

Word by Word

• gām: a cow
• gām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇam: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vṛddham: old/aged
• vṛddham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies brāhmaṇam)

• atha: and/then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर-अव्यय (particle: then/also)

• āptavākyam: one of trustworthy speech / reliable speaker
• āptavākyam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āpta + vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (āptasya vākyaṃ = trustworthy word/one whose speech is reliable)

• bālam: a child
• bālam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• svabandhum: one's own relative
• svabandhum: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + bandhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (one's own kinsman)

• lalanām: a woman
• lalanām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lalanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• aduṣṭām: innocent/not wicked
• aduṣṭām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aduṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies lalanām)

• kṛtāparādhāḥ: even if having committed offenses
• kṛtāparādhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta + aparādha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थ (kṛta-aparādha = having committed an offense)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-अव्यय (particle: even)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle: indeed/just)

• vadhyāḥ: to be killed / killable
• vadhyāḥ: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (विधेय-विशेषण/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vadhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective: to be killed)

• ācāryamukhyāḥ: teachers (chiefly ācāryas)
• ācāryamukhyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācārya + mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (ācārya as chief/foremost among teachers)

• guravaḥ: elders/gurus
• guravaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: likewise/so)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

Speakers

• Narrative context within Adhyaya 32: a dharmic instruction cited in the course of Indra’s deliberation (Indra/Śakra and a youthful adviser are in the surrounding verses).

Primary Deities

• Indra (Śakra)

Key Themes

• Ahimsa (non‑violence) and protected classes
• Dharma-śāstra restraints on punishment
• Guru/ācārya inviolability
• Royal ethics (kṣātra-dharma) vs. moral limits

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why are these categories declared ‘not to be slain’ even if they commit an offence?

The verse reflects a dharma-śāstra style hierarchy of protected beings: those who sustain society (cow), uphold sacred knowledge (brāhmaṇa, āpta), embody vulnerability (child, blameless woman), or represent one’s moral roots (kinsman, guru/ācārya). The intent is to restrict violent retribution and require alternative expiation or restraint rather than execution.

Does ‘āptavākya’ mean a specific social class?

No. ‘Āpta’ is a moral-epistemic category: a person whose testimony is reliable because of integrity and knowledge. The verse treats such a person as specially protected, emphasizing the social value of truthful counsel.

How does this fit a narrative about slaying a demon?

In episodes where Indra must kill a daitya (e.g., Namuci), the text often frames the act within dharmic constraints—first listing who must not be harmed, then justifying exceptional violence only when it protects many or preserves cosmic order.