Skandapurana 1.3.2

Lomaśa said: / Hearing the words spoken by Viṣṇu, Dakṣa said these words: / "You have rendered the Vedas invalid, O Madhusūdana!

And abandoning Vedic action, how could one attain the state of being with the Lord? / Let that be spoken, O Mahāviṣṇu, by which dharma is established!"

Addressed by Dakṣa, Mahāviṣṇu spoke, pacifying him: / "The Vedas have the three guṇas as their domain; they cannot be otherwise.

How can rites proclaimed in the Vedas bear fruit without Īśvara? / They will indeed be entirely fruitless.

Therefore, by every effort, take refuge in Īśvara!" / While Govinda was speaking thus, an ocean of an army arrived, / resembling Vīrabhadra; then the gods saw it.

Laughing at Viṣṇu, who was then engaged in asserting his own doctrine, / Indra, thunderbolt in hand, together with the gods, desired to fight.

Driven on quickly by Bhṛgu, intent on expulsion, / the attendants then fought against the gods, surrounded by their retinues.

They struck one another with arrows, javelins, and iron darts; / conches sounded repeatedly in that great festival of battle.

Likewise kettle-drums, wardrums, and small drums resounded. / Praised by that mighty noise, the gods then, / joined with the world-guardians, struck down those servants of Śiva.

Some were slain with swords and others crushed with maces; / all the attendants, by hundreds and thousands, were defeated by the gods.

Those attendants were turned back by the world-guardians headed by Indra, / and routed instantly by the power of Bhṛgu's mantra.

Their expulsion was then performed by the sacrificer Bhṛgu / for the sake of the sacrifice and for the satisfaction of the consecrated Dakṣa.

By that alone, the gods became victorious at that very moment. / Seeing the defeat of his own forces, Vīrabhadra, filled with wrath,

placing behind him the spirits, ghosts, and fiends, / placing before him those mounted on bulls, the mighty one himself / took up a sharp trident and threw them down in battle.

Against the gods, yakṣas, fiends, guhyakas, and rākṣasas, / with blows of tridents, all those attendants struck down the gods.

Some were cut in two with swords and others beaten with clubs; / some were chopped into pieces with battle-axes on the battleground.

Hundreds were pierced with pikes, and some were smashed to bits. / Thus defeated, they all became intent on flight.

Embracing one another, they fled even to heaven. / Only the world-guardians headed by Indra remained, anxious, / asking Bṛhaspati: “Whence may victory be ours?”

Bṛhaspati then spoke quickly to the king of the gods: / Bṛhaspati said: / “What Viṣṇu spoke previously has indeed come true today.

If there is any lord who bestows the fruit of action, / he attends to the agent; he is surely not a master over one who does nothing.

Neither all mantras and herbs, nor sorceries, nor worldly means, / nor rituals, nor the Vedas, nor the two Mīmāṃsās,

are capable of knowing [him]. But he can be known through single-minded devotion; / Sadāśiva is to be known through supreme peace and satisfaction.

Through him the entire world, consisting of pleasure and pain, comes into being. / Nevertheless, I shall speak out of a desire to distinguish what should and should not be done.

You, Indra, acting like a fool together with the world-guardians, / have arrived here today as a fool. What will you do now?

These highly glorious attendants are the helpers of Rudra; / when enraged, these illustrious ones leave no remainder.”

Hearing this speech of Bṛhaspati, those dwellers of heaven, / all the great world-guardians, fell into anxiety.

Then Vīrabhadra, closely surrounded by the attendants, said: / “All of you have come out of foolishness for your sacrificial portions.

I shall give you your portions swiftly for your satisfaction.” / Having spoken thus, filled with rage, he then struck with sharp arrows.

Struck down by those arrows, they all fled to the ten directions.

When the world-guardians had departed and the gods were dispersed, / Vīrabhadra, accompanied by the attendants, arrived at the sacrificial enclosure.

Then all those seers, desiring to entreat the supreme Lord of all, / quickly spoke thus to Janārdana:

“Protect Dakṣa’s sacrifice, for you are the sacrifice without doubt.” / Hearing this word of the seers, Janārdana,

Viṣṇu, who illuminates inner truth, stood in battle wishing to fight. / The mighty-armed Vīrabhadra addressed a speech to Keśava:

“Why have you come here, Viṣṇu, who know my great power? / Taking Dakṣa's side, how will you conquer? Tell me that!

Have you not seen what was done by Satī, O sinless one? / And you too have come to Dakṣa's sacrifice for a portion; / I will give a portion to you as well, O mighty-armed one!”

Having spoken thus, first bowing to Viṣṇu whose form is equal, / Vīrabhadra stepped forward and then addressed words to Viṣṇu:

“Just as Śambhu is, so indeed are you; there is no doubt of this in my mind. / Nevertheless, O mighty-armed one, you stand before me wishing to fight. / I will dispatch you to non-return if you stand your ground.”

Hearing those words of the wise Vīrabhadra, / the god Viṣṇu, supreme Lord of all, laughed and spoke:

Viṣṇu said: / “You are born from the fiery energy of Rudra; you are pure, O noble-minded one! / I was requested previously and repeatedly by Dakṣa for the sake of the sacrifice.

I am dependent on devotees, and so is Maheśvara; / for that very reason, I have come here to Dakṣa's sacrifice,

O Vīrabhadra, who arose from the wrath of Rudra! / I will ward you off, or you ward me off.”

When Govinda had spoken thus, the mighty-armed one laughed, / bowed with modesty, and spoke this to Janārdana:

“Just as Śiva is, so indeed are you; and just as you are, so is Śiva. / We are all the servants of you or of Śaṃkara.”

Hearing those words of his, the imperishable Acyuta laughed, / and the supreme lord Viṣṇu spoke this momentous word:

“Fight with me without fear, O mighty-armed one! / Being covered by your weapons, I shall go to my own abode.”

Saying “So be it,” that hero, the mighty Vīrabhadra, / took up supreme weapons and roared with lion-roars.

Viṣṇu too made a loud sound with the blast of his conch; / hearing that, the gods who had fled, having left the battle, returned once again.

Then all the world-protectors, led by Indra, formed a battle array. / At that, Nandin was struck by Indra with his hundred-jointed thunderbolt.

And Indra was struck by Nandin with a trident between the breasts. / And Bhṛṅgin was struck by Vāyu, and Vāyu was struck down by Bhṛṅgin.

Equipped with a sharp-edged spear, the powerful Mahākāla / [fought] in battle with Yama, who carried a staff.

And meeting Kubera, the lord of the kūṣmāṇḍas himself [fought him]. / And the exceedingly strong Muṇḍa fought a duel with Varuṇa,

Fighting with supreme power, as if astonishing the three worlds. / Encountering Nairṛta, the exceedingly powerful Caṇḍa,

Fought with a supreme weapon, deriding Nairṛta. / Accompanied by a circle of yoginīs, the great leader Bhairava,

Tearing apart all the gods, drank the extraordinary blood. / Likewise, other kṣetrapālas, bhūtas, pramathas, and guhyakas,

Fierce śākinīs, ḍākinīs, the nine Durgās as well, / yoginīs and yātudhānīs, and likewise kūṣmāṇḍas and the rest / roared, drank blood, and ate much flesh.

Seeing his army being devoured then, the king of the gods himself / left Nandin behind and rushed toward Vīrabhadra.

Leaving Viṣṇu aside, Vīrabhadra set upon the lord of the gods. / A terrible battle ensued between the two, like that between Mercury and Mars.

When Indra, filled with haste, desired to kill Vīrabhadra, / [Vīrabhadra] immediately covered Indra, seated on his elephant, with arrows.

Filled with rage, Vīrabhadra was irresistible and of great might. / Then he was swiftly struck by Indra with his hundred-jointed thunderbolt.

He prepared to swallow Indra along with his elephant and his thunderbolt. / A great cry of woe arose among the beings watching there.

Seeing Vīrabhadra acting in such a way, desiring to slay Purandara, / Viṣṇu, hurrying at that moment, stood in front of Vīrabhadra.

Placing Indra behind him, he then fought [with him]. / Then a supreme battle took place between Vīrabhadra and Viṣṇu.

The two then fought with weapons and missiles of various forms. / Seeing Nandin again, Indra, skilled in combat, [resumed fighting].

A tumultuous duel took place between the gods and the pramathas. / Crushed by the gods, all those pramathas fled from the battle.

Seeing the gaṇas turn their backs, all the diseases / born of Rudra's anger also fled from the gods.

Seeing the gods afflicted by fevers, Viṣṇu, as if laughing, / captured those gods alive, one by one.

Then, having summoned the divine Aśvins to destroy the diseases, / the highly intelligent [Viṣṇu] attentively paid wages to both of them, counting it out.

Then, seizing all the fevers, deliria, and other afflictors of creatures, / those two Aśvins, filled with joy, / freed the gods from fever and rejoiced for a long time.

They conquered the circle of yoginīs and threw Bhairava into disarray. / With sharp-pointed arrows, they also struck down the troops of bhūtas.

Seeing the army routed by the gods and fallen upon the earth, / Vīrabhadra, filled with wrath, addressed Viṣṇu with these words:

"You are a hero, O mighty-armed one; you are indeed the protector of the gods! / Fight with me diligently, if such is your desire!"

Having said this, approaching Viṣṇu, the lord of all lords, / the mighty Vīrabhadra showered him with sharpened arrows.

Then the Blessed One struck Vīrabhadra with his discus. / Seeing the discus approaching, he swallowed it that very moment.

Seeing the discus swallowed, Viṣṇu, the conqueror of enemy citadels, / stroked his face, and Viṣṇu caused it to be vomited forth again.

Taking his discus, the glorious sole master of the worlds then departed to heaven, / and knowing all this, the capable Viṣṇu [knew] that an unbearable deed had been done by the enemies.

Thus ends the fourth chapter, named 'Description of the Battle of Vīrabhadra and Others with Viṣṇu and Others', in the Kedārakhaṇḍa of the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].