Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 99
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
मूढ किं ते बलं बाह्वोः शारीरं चापि वृत्रहन् येनाधिक्षिपसे मां त्वं ध्रुवं न मतिमानसि
mūḍha kiṃ te balaṃ bāhvoḥ śārīraṃ cāpi vṛtrahan yenādhikṣipase māṃ tvaṃ dhruvaṃ na matimānasi
“愚昧之人！噢，诛灭弗利陀罗者，你臂中有何力、身中有何势，竟敢轻慢挑战于我？你必非智者。”
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FAQs
The epithet acknowledges Indra’s famed deed (slaying Vṛtra) yet relativizes it: past glory does not guarantee present supremacy. The rhetorical move both concedes reputation and asserts a higher current authority (Kumāra’s martial preeminence).
In this confrontational register, it can carry the sense of ‘to hurl oneself against / to assail verbally.’ Given the immediate dialogue setting, it primarily denotes presumptuous challenge or revilement, with an implied readiness for conflict.
It frames the dispute as not merely about strength but about discernment and rightful conduct. In Purāṇic ethics, lack of mati (sound judgment) leads to adharma and downfall; the line warns that arrogance blinds even powerful rulers.