Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 80

Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha

Devanagari script

स संग्रामं परित्यज्य सालिग्राममुपाययौ बाणो ऽपि मकाराक्षेण ताडितो ऽभूत्पराङ्मुखः

Transliteration

sa saṃgrāmaṃ parityajya sāligrāmamupāyayau bāṇo 'pi makārākṣeṇa tāḍito 'bhūtparāṅmukhaḥ

Translation

他舍弃战斗，前往圣地室利伽罗摩（Śāligrāma）。而婆那（Bāṇa）亦被摩迦罗眼者（Makārākṣa）击中，遂转身退走，逃离战阵。

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• संग्रामम्: battle
• संग्रामम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having abandoned’

• सालिग्रामम्: to Śāligram(a) (place)
• सालिग्रामम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सालिग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; स्थाननाम

• उपाययौ: went/approached
• उपाययौ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बाणः: Bāṇa
• बाणः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha/Avadhāraṇa (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘also/even’

• मकाराक्षेण: by (one) ‘Makārākṣa’
• मकाराक्षेण: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मकाराक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः = मकारः अक्षि यस्य (one whose eye is like/marked by ‘ma’)

• ताडितः: struck
• ताडितः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ताड् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पराङ्मुखः: turned away/backward-facing
• पराङ्मुखः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पराङ्मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः = पराङ् मुखः (face turned away)

Speakers

• Narrator voice; no direct speech in the verse.

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (by association with Śāligrāma)
• Gaṇeśvara(s) (contextual opponents in the battle sequence)

Key Themes

• Retreat and regrouping
• Sanctuary at a sacred site
• Vaiṣṇava sacred geography embedded in martial narrative
• Defeat and reversal (parāṅmukhatā)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Śāligrāma’ in Purāṇic geography?

Śāligrāma is a renowned sacred locality, classically associated with the Gandakī region and with naturally occurring śālagrāma stones revered as Viṣṇu’s emblem. In Purāṇic narrative, ‘going to Śāligrāma’ can imply seeking refuge, merit, or divine protection at a Vaiṣṇava tīrtha.

Does the verse imply a pilgrimage act (tīrtha-yātrā) or a tactical withdrawal?

The immediate context is battlefield retreat (‘saṃgrāmaṃ parityajya’). Yet the choice of destination—Śāligrāma—adds a religious layer: withdrawal is framed through sacred geography, suggesting the defeated party seeks auspicious ground or protection.

Who is Makārākṣa here?

Makārākṣa (‘crocodile-eyed’) appears as a named/epithetic warrior who strikes Bāṇa. Without adjacent verses, it is safest to treat Makārākṣa as a combatant in this chapter’s Daitya–Gaṇa conflict rather than importing identities from other epics.