Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 14
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
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
普拉斯提亚说道：“请聆听那功德殊胜的吉祥祈祷（svastyayana），乃世尊诃利所宣说，为成就斯坎达之胜利，并为诛灭摩希沙。”
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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.