Skandapurana 1.1.11

Brahmā said:

He, enraged, covered Gaurī, who was mounted upon a lion, / blazing and bearing various weapons,

with a great shower of mountains.

Warding that off from afar with a great shower of arrows,

she pierced his entire body with sharp weapons.

Though being pierced, the lord of the Daityas, irresistible with the strength of a mountain,

did not fall into despondency at all, but grew arrogant in battle.

Being pierced with sword, discus, blades, spears,

and trident, and with other weapons, he resorted to disappearance.

Then, having the form of a dreadful lion, with a face uttering fierce roars,

with sharp fangs and keen claws, he roamed about as a maned lion.

The goddess's lion struck with the slap of his paw,

and tore the chest of that Daitya-lion with his claws.

Then, having become a tiger, huge, with wide gaping jaws,

the goddess violently struck out her hand with swiftness to kill him.

Full of long dark stripes, his tawny body,

was moving like the golden mountain covered with lines of chariots.

As if being released ahead by deer seeking protection, the mighty one,

bearing as it were the blazing fire of rage with the flames of his tongue,

approached with speed; the goddess pierced back that tiger with a crescent-shaped arrow shining like the moon,

just as Īśvara pierced the triple city.

That arrow, plunged into his mouth and drenched with his blood,

pierced through his body, emerged, and soared into the sky.

That Daitya, becoming an elephant, quickly approached the goddess,

as though offering her pleasure through torn animal sacrifices.

Seeing that lord of elephants approaching, making the ground wet with rut,

the goddess's lion then roared and struck.

Then a warrior arose holding a sword, with a shield in his hand,

and roamed about bearing a face terrifying with fangs and knitted brows.

The goddess too, her hands shining with flashing sword and a circle of discuses,

fought with that warrior, whose head was then smashed.

Assuming the form of a buffalo again through asuric illusion,

he proceeded calmly to fight with the goddess as before.

Then the sage Gautama, urged by the gods and chief sages,

began to awaken the Mother of the Universe with praises:

“In you the supreme life-energy of the entire universe is recognized;

in you are perceived the power of vitality, the power of knowledge, and the power of strength.

Why is this battle undertaken by you today, leading to delusion?

Let this Daitya be withdrawn for the protection of the world!

By your withdrawing his manifold bodies,

boon-bestowing folds [of the waist], spoken of in the Veda, are shown.

Otherwise, O Goddess who shine like the fire of cosmic dissolution, in the destruction of this enemy

who is like a blade of grass, why should there be such exertion?

Fixing your own power, draw out with the trident the enemy's

life-force, O you who bear a body composed of the three qualities!”

Awakened by him in this manner in former times, the goddess then,

assailing Mahiṣāsura, pressed him down with her trident.

The goddess [placed] her own body, resembling many mountains, [upon him];

unable to bear that, Mahiṣāsura sank down.

Crushed, writhing, crying out, overcome, and struggling,

the lord of the Asuras, with his head raised, was unable to escape.

Surging with streams of blood from his body pierced by the prongs of the trident,

he became like an ocean, his body red as twilight.

Then, having severed his head with a sharp sword,

Standing upon his head, the crusher of Mahiṣa danced.

The Siddhas, Gandharvas, and great seers praised Durgā,

and a great shower of flowers was poured down from all sides by the gods.

Bowing low with folded hands, the lord of the gods praised the Goddess:

Indra said:

“Obeisance to you, mother of the worlds, the primal consciousness of living beings!

You are devotion, faith, and the power of those who worship you, O Ambikā!

[You are] the primal cause, supreme fame, peace, self-control, fine art, and forbearance.

Though one alone, of universal form, you are designated by various names.

Appointing us to our respective stations, in accomplishments corresponding to our austerity,

and cleaving the enemy asunder, you shine forth, known as the auspicious one.

This wicked Mahiṣa has been slain and dismembered, O consort of Śambhu!

Yet this severed head of his appears as if alive:

a moving head with red eyes, sharp horns, and a blazing tongue!

May this very form of yours, standing upon him, ever be before us!

With discus, horn-bow, arrows, sword, shield, boon, and freedom from fear,

with spear, bell, goad, whip, skull, thunderbolt, and the rest,

embodying all deities and filled with the weapons of all the gods,

you alone, O Mother, destroy all our enemies.

The thousands of weapons are your manifestations, composed of your essence.

Though enemies may have been conquered by you, all those kings who possess diverse weapons and mounts,

accompanied by chariots, elephants, horses, and armies,

would in an instant have their prowess burnt away if bereft of your grace.

Even a stationless man of little strength, if he is a servant of your lotus feet,

attains the lordship of the three worlds and thrives, adorned with renown.

For those who constantly meditate upon and worship this very fierce form of yours,

there will be no fear whatsoever from enemies, and they will be endowed with victory.

Let such a form of yours, praised by the gods throughout all the worlds,

be worshipped always by gods and servants for the attainment of desired ends!

And may the Mothers created by you, who grant all desired fruits,

be worshipped together with their hosts in all places at all times!

And may this slain Daitya, marked by the impress of your foot,

ever be worshipped in front of you by your devotees through your grace!”

Thus praised by the lord of the gods and served by all seers and deities,

the boon-giving Goddess said, “So be it,” and sent [them] off to heaven.

She herself, having established there that form of hers bearing various weapons

together with the Mothers, carried out the protection of the place.

Assuming a spotless form, surrounded by her companions,

the maiden looked upon the head of Mahiṣa, cut off by the edge of her sword.

Speaking again of that marvelous ornament of the world,

she, together with her companions, gazed at his neck.

She then saw a liṅga, and in order to perform its worship,

Gaurī quickly took hold of the liṅga situated on his neck.

And she gazed at it for a long time, bathed in streams of blood.

Then the liṅga became stuck to her palm;

endeavoring to release it, she was unable to detach it at all.

And out of astonishment the Goddess thought, “What is this?”

Filled with despair, she stood before the great seers.

She was seized with grief, thinking: “Alas, a devotee of Śiva has been struck down!”

She severely reproached her own foolishness born of the nature of women:

“Without reflection, the slaughter of a devotee of Śiva was undertaken!”

Her body overcome with remorse, she approached Gautama, best of sages,

and the maiden said: “A rash deed has been done by me!

O venerable one, knower of all duties, noble Gautama, lord of sages!

By me, respectable though I be, an unrighteous deed has been performed under the guise of duty.

Setting out to protect the gods and grant freedom from fear,

out of ignorance I struck down the Daitya Mahiṣa, a devotee of Śiva!

For those whose intellect is overcome by passion, there is no grasping of righteousness.

[Righteousness] is easily attained through the grace of the guru, yet it is beset with hundreds of flashing obstacles.

Very unassailable and difficult to subdue, even if devoid of customary conduct, are those who have taken refuge in Śiva.”

Especially those who bear a liṅga; Śiva holds them in high esteem.

Formerly, the Daityas dwelling in the three cities were bearers of the liṅga.

They were previously invincible to Śambhu; [only] when their liṅgas were abandoned were they slain.

The liṅga situated on his neck does not leave my hand.

How shall I remove the sin incurred by slaying a devotee of Śiva?

Carrying the liṅga situated on his neck, endowed with austerity,

I will undertake a pilgrimage to sacred fords until Śambhu is pleased.

Moreover, in numerous abodes of Śambhu, foremost among them Kailāsa,

having performed ritual ablution in the sacred fords, I shall attain purification from sin.

Hearing her distress due to apprehension of unrighteousness,

one knowledgeable in Śaiva duty spoke to her who was afflicted with fear:

Do not fear, O daughter of the mountain, thinking through delusion, 'A devotee of Śiva has been slain!'

Those who understand the subtle meaning of duty are rare, O mountain maiden.

Through the faces of Sadāśiva, beginning with Sadyojāta,

twenty-eight millions of Āgamas were proclaimed by the five [mouths],

containing excellent determinations regarding the devotees of Śiva and the path of Śiva.

Even among the chiefs of sages, nothing is established in them without [proper knowledge].

Kālamukha, Kaṅkāla, Śaiva, and likewise Pāśupata,

and Mahāvrata—these are the five paths of practice of Śiva.

And there are many subdivisions among them, yet all are devoted to Śiva.

For the one powerful goal to be attained by all of them unceasingly is Śiva.

All of them are always worthy of worship by those established in their own duty,

free from malice, devoted to Śiva, and obeying Śiva's commands.

Through the Vedas, through numerous sacrifices, and through supreme devotion,

Mahādeva, the bestower of all things, is worshipped at all times.

Violence to living beings must not be committed, especially by ascetics.

Yet destroyers of Śiva's law must certainly be slain outright.

One should not consider the sectarian garb, nor the liṅga, nor birth.

One should simply strike down a violator of Śiva's law without hesitation.

When determined by many knowers of duty with manifest intelligence,

power immediately goes forth against the destruction of Śiva's law.

His action was ordained, anointed by the sovereignty of the liṅga.

Therefore, O goddess, he could not be conquered by all the gods.

Because he was slain, O goddess, by you who are honored by Śaṃkara,

having been overtaken by the fault of a curse from the great seers despite his reliance on Śiva.

Then, enraged by his injustice and disrespect,

they cursed him, saying: 'Wicked like a buffalo, let him become a buffalo!'

Then, by their word, in an instant he immediately became a buffalo.

Having bowed, he propitiated them and begged for release from the curse.

Having granted the power of assuming forms at will, being propitiated, they gave him [a boon]:

'Even in the state of a buffalo, destruction [shall come] by the Goddess herself by Śiva's command.'

You must not feel dejection, having seen his limb [and the liṅga].

Disrespect toward perfected beings who are forms of Śiva—whom does it not afflict?

When the buffalo state had arisen, approached by reason of the fault,

this destruction of the curse, attained through the grace of the perfected ones, was effected by you.

All the worlds have been protected, and this wicked one has been preserved.

The buffalo state that arose from the fault of the curse having been removed,

and by you performing austerity for the pleasure of Giriśa, O mountain-born goddess,

the luminous liṅga named Aruṇācala is to be seen.

In a previous birth, he was clearly a devotee of the Lord of Aruṇādri.

In his buffalo state, he was overcome with pride, but remained united with the liṅga.

Who in the three worlds is capable of slaying one who wears a liṅga with devotion?

In the past, the three [demons] worshipped by Rudra were seen in the three cities.

With his throat severed by your sword, O fair-faced one,

it is said that a liṅga bestowed without initiation and the like brings destruction.

For the wearing of the liṅga was done out of devotion even by the buffalo.

At times he attained conviction from the discourse of Buddhist or Jain monks,

yet due to the power of austerity in a past life, he remembered, on account of wearing the liṅga.

From the contact of your lotus-like feet, he is liberated without doubt.

Through the expiations spoken by me, there is indeed the destruction of sins.

"The darśana of the best of mountains is considered the highest expiation.

Having assembled various Śaivas who know the established doctrines of Śiva,

having invoked all sacred fords for the removal of all faults,

and having created some lake and bathed there, O fair-faced lady,

perform your ritual ablution accompanied by the aghamarṣaṇa rite, holding the liṅga.

At the three junctures of the day, and at the end of the month during the great festival of the sacrifice to the gods,

worship with ritual services Śiva, who is embodied as the mountain of Aruṇa."

Having thus heard the sage's word, infused with Śaiva meaning, the goddess, daughter of the mountain, bowed to by the gods and protectress of the world, was pleased.

To carry out this fitting Śaiva duty before the Crimson Mountain, she immediately resolved to plunge into a sacred ford in order to wash away the sin.

Thus ends the eleventh chapter, entitled 'The Description of the Severed Head of Mahiṣāsura Remaining Attached to the Goddess's Hand after the Slaying of Mahiṣāsura,' in the first half of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya, in the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.