Skandapurana 1.4.30: adhyāyaḥ 32

Nārada said: / Hearing this hymn of praise proclaimed by the bards of the gods, / the Daitya remembered Brahmā's statement that his death would come from a child.

Upon hearing it, his whole body drenched [in sweat], the king spoke to the door-keeper: / 'I wish to see my ministers; bring them quickly, do not delay!'

Then, at the king's word, they arrived, headed by Kālanemi. / The Daitya Tāraka said to them: 'What is this conduct of yours?

By you no news whatsoever of the enemy's uprising was made known to me! / Counselorship is not proper for you who are intoxicated with wine and lust! / He who counsels the king's benefit is called a minister.'

The ministers said: / 'Who pays heed to the wretched gods? Such has been our view regarding the Daityas.

Do not despair, great king; we will conquer the gods! / What fear is there from a mere boy? Yet this worry is cause for shame!

All this is easily accomplished; let the war drum be struck forcefully!' / Then, by order of the king of the Daityas, generating martial readiness,

the war drum, struck vehemently, made the universe tremble. / At the call of the Daitya king, the great Asuras from the mountains,

from the rivers, from the oceans, from the Pātālas, and from the sky, / arrived all at once, blazing like the fire at the end of the world-age.

With crores of thousands of crores and ten thousand parārdhas, / the general Kālanemi marched quickly against the gods.

Stationed in a chariot four yojanas wide, filled with various wonders, / Tāraka was seen looking somewhat dejected.

In the meantime, O Pārtha, by the enraged attendants of Skanda, / the entire rampart was cast down and the pleasure-gardens broken to pieces.

Then the goddess Earth, with her woods and forests, shook; / the sky blazed with its stars, and the world was utterly bewildered.

The world was shrouded in darkness, and the sky was filled with vultures. / Then, equipped with various weapons, resembling the clouds of dissolution,

the great army led by Kālanemi appeared, O Pārtha! / Dreadful and countless, it roared out various cries,

and rushed in battle against the gods and the venerable Śaṃkara. / Then, as the Daityas with great weapons roared, [they attacked] the divine army.

With boulders, śataghnīs, and iron bludgeons, / in an instant the whole [host] was routed and seen turning back.

As they were slaughtered by the asuras like a forest by fires, / they fell like a grove of great trees caught in a forest fire.

With their bones and heads shattered, the gods fled, / finding no protector as they were slain by the great asuras.

Then, seeing that army routed and grievously afflicted by the dānavas, / Puraṃdara spoke, reassuring them:

"Cast off fear! May it be well with you! Warriors, seize your weapons! / Resolve on valor, and let there be no distress among you!

Here is Mahāsena, resplendent as the fire of destruction, mounted upon his peacock! / He is your protector—how then can you still have fear?"

Hearing Śakra's words, the gods were comforted; / taking Śakra as their refuge, they fought back against the dānavas.

Kālanemi joined battle with Mahendra, / and Jambhaka, accompanied by a thousand akṣauhiṇīs, with Śaṃkara.

Kujambha, surrounded by an equal number of akṣauhiṇīs, [fought] with Viṣṇu, / while the other gods, all the mighty Maruts,

and the Sādhyas along with the Vasus fought against the daitya chiefs. / Then Kālanemi, having waged various kinds of battle,

suddenly sprang forth, O Pārtha, and stood upon the head of Airāvata; / with a kick of his foot and a blow of his fist, he struck that elephant

and Śakra, roaring aloud, so that both of them fell to the ground. / Then Kālanemi, seizing the unconscious Śakra,

mounted his chariot once more and set off toward Tāraka. / Then, enraged, the gods—led by Antaka and the rest—[cried out] suddenly:

"The king is being carried off! He is being carried off! There is no savior!" / In the meantime, Śarva, with arrows shot from his Pināka bow,

made Jambhaka together with his army food for vultures, / and approaching Kālanemi while standing upon his chariot, he said:

"What [glory is there] with this Mahendra? Fight with me, dānava! / You who think yourself a hero, fool, you will know heroism then!"

Kālanemi said: / "Who would fight with a naked one, or with one who is already slain? / Such praise would become a laughingstock among daitya warriors.

Look for someone equal to yourself, utterly foolish one!" / Hearing that contemptuous speech, Śarva was astonished.

Then Kumāra swiftly rushed forward, mounted on his peacock; / having slain Kujambha along with his followers, Vāsudeva also rushed forward.

Then Hari said to Skanda: "What have you to do with this, O lord? / Watch my strength for a moment against this vile, sinful daitya!"

Having spoken thus and restraining him, Keśava, mounted upon Garuḍa, / covered the daitya with arrows discharged from his Śārṅga bow.

Struck by those arrows as if by thunderbolts, the great asura / released Vāsava in anger and shattered those arrows with his own shafts.

Whatever celestial arrows and missiles Hari unleashed, / the daitya warded them off, laughing as if in sport.

Then Janārdana, acting swiftly, seized the Kaumodakī mace / and hurled it at the army commander, crushing his charioteer.

Then, leaping down from his chariot and opening his vast mouth, / [the daitya] seized Garuḍa by the beak and threw Viṣṇu into his mouth.

Then stupor seized all the gods and the worlds as well; / the earth shook, and the mountains and seven oceans trembled.

Kālanemi began to dance in the great battle. / Then Viṣṇu, undismayed as the moment of urgency arrived,

tore open his belly with his discus and shone like the risen sun; / having emerged outside, Hari bewitched him with his own delusion,

and cast him down to the floor of Pātāla, where he lay like a log of wood. / Then with his discus, ten crores of daityas were slain.

The gods rejoiced and were freed from delusion at that instant. / Then Śarva embraced him, saying: "Well done! Well done, Janārdana!

The deed that you have done, none other could perform! / The exceedingly invincible ones like Mahiṣa who were struck down by the Devī—

this one was far mightier than they, yet he was subdued by you, O Viṣṇu! / In the battle of the Tārakāmaya war, he is to be slain by you, Janārdana;

and again, taking the form of Kaṃsa, he must be killed by you in your eighth birth." / While they were thus praising Vāsudeva, the teacher of the world,

[the gods] destroyed the daitya troops who had regained consciousness, using volleys of weapons. / Those bodies of the daityas, shattered by mighty weapons,

fell on the ground, O Pārtha, like torn clouds on every side. / Then that army of dānavas was left without a leader;

put to flight by the weapons of the gods and Skanda's followers, / a joyful cry went up from all the gods filled with delight.

All united together, they sounded their musical instruments. / Then, seeing his force broken and his warriors slain in the great battle,

and the great joy of the gods, Tāraka said to his charioteer: / "Charioteer, behold my troops being routed by the gods,

whom we regarded as mere grass! Behold the wonder of Time! / Therefore, drive this chariot quickly toward the gods!

Let them behold the strength of my arms, and let the vile gods flee!" / Speaking thus to his charioteer and shaking his immense bow,

the king, his eyes red with rage, plunged into the divine army. / Seeing him approaching, Hari then spoke to Skanda:

"Kumāra, look at the daitya king, who resembles Death at the end of an age! / This is he by whom Śiva was propitiated with fierce austerity;

this is he by whom Śakra and the rest were turned into monkeys for hundreds of millions of years; / this is he who could not be conquered in battle by us with all hosts of weapons.

This great asura Tāraka must not be regarded with contempt. / Today is indeed your seventh day, and it is now midday."

"Slay him before sunset; otherwise he cannot be killed."
Having spoken thus to Śakra and the others, Keśava swiftly said:

"Weary the king of the Daityas so that he may easily be slain."
Then, at Viṣṇu's command, the roaring denizens of heaven,

Approaching him, joyfully showered him with volleys of arrows.
As if laughing, Tāraka put those gods to flight,

Just as an immoral atheist [puts to flight] teachers of various scriptures.
They were unable to withstand that hero standing in his mighty chariot,

Just as [one cannot endure] a speaker of unpleasant words afflicted with severe epilepsy.
Having brushed aside all the gods in a mere moment, Tāraka

Came toward Kumāra, brandishing his mighty bow.
Seeing him advancing, Skanda then stepped forth against him.

Bhava protected his side, and Hari protected his right [flank],
and at his back were his attendants in their tens of millions and hundreds of millions.

Then the two, of the gods and the Daityas, clashed in a stupendous battle,
lofty like righteousness and unrighteousness, causing wonder to the world.

Then, having approached Kumāra, Tāraka playfully said:
"Ah, you are a mere child, an utter child, that at the word of the gods

You approach me in battle, like a moth into fire!
What gain is there for me in your death? You are spared, child!

Drink milk, take this ball, and play at your ease!"
Spoken to thus, the guru of yogins laughed and said to Tāraka:

"Do not despise my childhood: a young serpent is dangerous;
the morning sun is hard to gaze upon; even a tiny fire is difficult to touch.

Is not a mantra with few syllables seen to be radiant with power, O Daitya?"
Having spoken thus and caught that ball thrown by the Daitya,

He took up his śakti weapon against it and hurled it at the Daitya.
By its strike, his chariot was reduced to powder—

A chariot four yojanas in size, endowed with various wonders.
And the sons of Garuḍa [yoked to it], when that excellent chariot was shattered,

Somehow escaped, flew up, and plunged into the midst of the ocean.
Then the enraged Tāraka hurled a club at Guha.

Skanda, receiving it like the Vindhya mountain, struck it;
on his firm and broad chest the club broke into a hundred pieces.

Then the Daitya considered the six-faced god invincible in battle,
and reflected in his mind: "That word of Brahmā has come to pass."

Perceiving him to be as if afraid, the Daitya heroes in their millions,
roaring, showered Mahāsena with various weapons.

Enraged at them, Skanda then seized his dreadful śakti;
as the śakti weapon was wielded by Skanda of immeasurable splendor,

A terrifying shower of meteors fell upon the surface of the earth.
And as that most dreadful śakti was swung by the son of Bhava,

Millions of śaktis burst forth, O best of the Bhāratas!
With the śakti weapon held in his hand, that powerful lord struck down

Eight hundred million Daityas and one hundred million more,
as well as a hundred million thousand mounts and a crore [more],

And the Daitya lord Hradodara, surrounded by ten nikharvas [of warriors].
There, as the enemies were being slaughtered, a tumultuous roar was raised

By Kumāra's followers, O Pārtha, filling the ten directions.
Some were slain by the spears born from the radiance of the śakti weapon;

Some were struck down by thousands, swept away by his banner;
some, terrified by the sound of his bell, fell with broken and shattered hearts;

Some were destroyed by the peacock's wings and feet;
and by the tens of millions, they were torn apart and devoured by the rooster;

Others were slaughtered by the hundreds of millions by his attendants together with the Mothers.
While the Dānavas were thus being destroyed by Guha and the others,

Tāraka advanced against Skanda, like misfortune falling upon the worlds,
and seized a divine mace, unassailable with its hundred thousand bells.

With it he struck the peacock, and the peacock turned away.
Seeing him turned back in the sight of the worlds, Vāsudeva urgently said:

"O Commander of the Army of the Gods, swiftly unleash your śakti upon the great Asura!
Fulfill your vow: the solar disk is sinking low!"

Skanda said:
"It was you yourself, O Janārdana, who told me, 'He is a devotee of Rudra.'
How can my arm release a śakti for the slaying of a devotee of Rudra?

One who is not Rudra cannot worship Rudra; Hara himself takes the form of his devotee.
Having killed him who has the form of Rudra, what would become of my existence?

When insulted, deceived, cursed, repulsed, or tormented,
devotees of Rudra burn down an entire lineage—how much more so if slain?

If he kills me, let it be so: let him slay me in battle!
Yet against a devotee of Rudra, O Viṣṇu, I will not take up a weapon again."

The Blessed Lord said:
"This is not fitting for you, Skanda; hear who a true devotee of Rudra is:
Seers who know the Veda understand that the husband of Girijā has two forms:

One consisting of the individual self, and the other directly manifest.
One who injures living beings, even if a devotee, is not considered a devotee of Rudra.

A devotee of Rudra is compassionate toward living beings, devoted to Hara's vows.
Therefore, slay this hater of the wielder of Pināka toward living beings and mortals;

I see no fault whatsoever in you for this, O Lord."
Having heard these words from Govinda, though they were true, O Bhārata,

He did not make up his mind to kill him, remembering, 'He is a devotee of Rudra.'
Then Tāraka, enraged, rushed with speed toward Keśava,

And spoke thus: "O fool, I shall kill you! Behold my power!
You are the root of the gods, of dharmas, and of the wise;
having slain you today, I shall cut down all of them! Behold my power today!"

Viṣṇu said:
"O king of the Daityas, what do you have to do with us? Hear the truth!

It is Śarva who stands here in this chariot; once he is killed, everything is killed."
Hearing this, the enraged Tāraka swiftly rushed toward the chariot of Rudra.

Advancing, he seized the yoke of Rudra's chariot. / When enraged Tāraka suddenly took hold of the yoke,

the two worlds quickly shrieked, and the great seers were bewildered. / The cloud-like, huge-bodied Daityas roared out,

and their conviction was: “We have won!” / Seeing the intention of Tāraka too, the blessed Śaṃkara,

abandoning the chariot together with Umā, mounted his bull. / Then Brahmā, chanting “Om,” quickly took to the sky.

Then Tāraka, lifting up that chariot fashioned with a hundred lions by Rudra / and dashing it against the earth, smashed it to pieces.

And when the trident, the Pāśupata, and other [weapons] suddenly approached, / the Mountain-dweller restrained them, saying, “Bhava is to be mastered [by himself alone].”

Then, realising he had been tricked by Rudra, out of jealousy, / shouting loudly, he suddenly rushed at Maheśvara seated on the bull.

Then Janārdana rushed forward, swiftly brandishing his discus, / Indra likewise raising his thunderbolt, and Yama roaring with his rod,

the Lord of Wealth enraged with his mace, and Varuṇa roaring with his noose, / Vāyu with a terrible great hook, Agni with his splendid spear,

Nirṛti with his sharp sword, the enraged Rudras with their tridents, / the Sādhya gods with bows, and likewise the Vasus with bludgeons,

and the Viśvedevas with a pestle, the sun and moon with their own radiance, / the two divine Aśvins with herbs, and the serpents with blazing poison,

and the mountains headed by Himādri taking up great rocks. / Seeing the gods rushing forward shouting loudly, Tāraka,

turning back suddenly, O son of Pṛthā, like a roaring great elephant, / struck Indra with a fist like a thunderbolt and felled him by his arm.

Seizing the rod from Yama, he struck him on the head and struck him down; / striking the Wealth-giver along with his mace on the chest, he threw him to the earth;

taking the noose from Varuṇa, he bound him with it and threw him down; / and with the great hook he struck Vāyu for a long time on the head.

With his blowing breaths Tāraka extinguished the fierce fire; / seizing the sword from Nirṛti, he struck and felled him with it.

Likewise the Rudras were afflicted by their own tridents, the Sādhyas by their bow, / the Vasus by their very bludgeons, the Viśvas by their pestles.

Covering the moon and sun with dust, they were seen as if inside an ant-hill; / with palmyra trees he repelled the terrible herbs of the Aśvins;

the venomous serpents were rendered venomless by the stomping of his feet; / and the mountains were made thoroughly breathless by the mountains themselves.

Having thus thrown that divine army into lamentation and unconsciousness in a moment, / he rushed roaring at that Discus-bearer.

Then Keśava vanished immediately, as if laughing, / just like the master [disappears] from a bad ascetic, he who is ever foremost among the wise.

Not seeing Viṣṇu, the angry Daitya rushed again / toward the one mounted on the bull, swiftly raising his fist.

Hard to perceive like lightning, the blessed Hari then became visible, / and raising his arm high, he spoke to the gods:

“Flee, O gods, if you have the power to flee! / For we are all utterly foolish, having come at the word of a child.

Have you not heard the verse sung long ago by the self-manifest [Manu]? / ‘Whatever is entrusted to children, women, eunuchs, / and those with epilepsy—all of it comes to doubt.’

All that is directly seen here right now.

We already knew before that he does not kill a devotee of Rudra; / had he not made that vow, there would not be our great slaughter.

Now, if this foolish one does not slay the lord of Daityas, / do not fear, O fortunate ones; I will slay your enemies.

Today behold the vast strength of my arms; behold, / I shall destroy this vilest Daitya with a single fist!

For my right arm has always been given to you: / I shall kill the enemies—I uphold that truth!

Those who are in the sky, those in Pātāla, and the great Asuras who are on earth— / I will destroy them in an instant, like a great wind destroys clouds.”

Having spoken thus, the Lord of the Universe raised his right fist, / leaped down unarmed from the back of Garuḍa, and rushed forward.

As Govinda ran, the three worlds shook; / the universe swooned, and the gods experienced supreme fear.

And as he ran like Rudra's world-destroying fire, the flames / that burst from his mouth slew hundreds of billions [of demons].

Then in the sky the Siddhas themselves spoke words: / “Restrain your anger, Vāsudeva! When you are angry, where indeed will the world be?”

Disregarding that statement as it were, saying “I will do nothing else,” / and challenging the great Daitya, wrathful Hari ran.

He spoke a word: “The fruit that comes to those who protect the virtuous with effort / and to those who slay the wicked—may that fruit be mine!”

Then Mahāsena saw Rudra, and Tāraka advancing [toward him], / and Hari, the foremost Puruṣa, running after Tāraka;

and the world exceedingly agitated; and his own vow made formerly; / and the red sun sinking toward the west;

and hearing a voice in the sky: “Why do you despair, O Skanda? / If repentance should occur in you upon committing the slaying of a brahmin,

you shall establish a liṅga of the Lord; there is liberation even from hundreds of killings!” / Then he was filled with great wrath, as if desiring to burn the earth.

Then leaping down from his peacock, smiling as it were at Keśava / and catching him with his two arms, the son of Bhava said:

“I know you, O Viṣṇu, to possess great intellect and valour; / you can kill even past, present, and future Daityas with mere roars.

You alone are the slayer of Daityas, the protector of the gods, / and the establisher of righteousness; reverent salutation is made to you.

"Behold my valor for half a moment; the sun is turning red."
Having bowed thus, Skanda propitiated Vāsudeva.

Free from anger, Keśava embraced him and spoke these words:
"Today, Guha, this dharma and the gods have found a protector in you.

Remember yourself, and the purpose for which you were born from Maheśvara:
for the protection of the virtuous and the destruction of the wicked.
The birth and life of noble souls is for the sake of the gods and brahmins.

You were born from the fiery energy of Rudra, of the Goddess, of Gaṅgā, of the Kṛttikās,
and of Svāhā and Agni. Make that fiery energy fruitful!
He whose wealth, valor, and riches are for the sake of the virtuous—

all of that becomes fruitful for him, not otherwise, O son of Rudra!

Today, let dharma, the gods, cows, the Sādhyas, and the brahmins
rejoice through your valor! Display your own strength!"

Skanda said:
"May I quickly attain that fate which comes from abandoning Śiva
and abandoning you, Keśava, if I do not slay Tāraka!

The fate that comes from abandoning the Veda, from tormenting a virtuous wife,
from abandoning the righteous, and from maintaining life in vain—
and the fate that belongs to a cruel person, to that fate let me go, O Keśava!"

When this was spoken, a great roar arose among the gods.
Some praised Guha, and some praised Lord Nārāyaṇa.

Then, mounting Garuḍa, Hari in that great battle,
and Mahāsena, [mounting] his cock-crested bird, both rushed against Tāraka.

Clad in red garments, adorned with red garlands and ornaments,
red-eyed, mighty-armed, the Lord wore golden armor.

Poising the spear with his arm, making all creatures tremble,
approaching that Tāraka, Mahāsena spoke as if laughing:

"Halt, halt, you evil-minded one! Your life now rests in my hands!
Let the world, hard to attain and the granter of all perfections, be made exceedingly joyful!

For that extreme cruelty of yours toward dharma, the gods, and cows,
I strike you today! Remember your well-practiced weapons!"

When this was said by Guha, O Bhārata, as he turned back,
there emerged from the region of Tāraka's head a certain woman,

illuminating him, the lower and upper realms, and the ten directions with her radiance.
Seeing that woman, Guha said: "Who are you, and why have you come forth?"

The woman said:
"I am the Power (Śakti), O Guha, celebrated as ever-dwelling on the earth.
I was acquired by this king of daityas through great austerity.

I dwell in all the gods, and I dwell in brahmins devoted to the meaning of the scriptures;
I dwell likewise in virtuous women; without good qualities I dwell nowhere.

Now the limit of his heap of merit has arrived, O Guha;
therefore, abandoning him, I depart. Slay him for the sake of the universe!"

When she had thus departed, the daitya's head shook,
and his body trembled; in an instant he was bereft of his valor.

At that moment, the son of the mountain's daughter hurled his spear,
which released fiery trails of meteors, blazing brighter than the sun and fire,

roaring like the ocean of the cosmic dissolution, as if wishing to burn up the universe,
for the time of Tāraka's end, like the state of misfortune [personified],

cleaving mountains, surpassing the strength of all living beings;
lifting it and roaring loudly, the enraged Guha released it,

declaring: "If dharma is strong in the world, and if dharma always triumphs,
by that truth let this daitya go to destruction!"

Hurled from Kumāra's arm, irresistible and unapproachable,
it split his heart and, piercing through, entered the earth.

Emerging again preceded by surges of water, it returned to Skanda.
And struck by the spear, his heart split open,
making the whole earth resound, the iron-faced asura fell down dead.

Having thus tormented the three worlds and repeatedly vanquished the gods,
Tāraka was slain in the great battle by Kumāra, O Pārtha.

When this daitya was slain, the universe attained great joy.

Holy breezes blew, the sun became brightly radiant,
the fires burned peacefully, and the sounds born of the quarters grew calm.

Then Keśava, the slayer of foes, filled with joy, spoke again to Skanda:
"Skanda, Skanda, mighty-armed one! There is a son of Bali named Bāṇa;

taking Mount Krauñca, he harasses the hosts of gods.
Now, out of fear of you, O hero, having fled he has gone to that mountain.
Slay that evil-minded one who stays on Krauñca with the speed of your spear!"

Then he of great fiery energy, with his spear, split Krauñca,
which was echoing with various beasts of prey and crowded with many trees and living creatures.

There, the spear with its mighty sound burned thousands of wild beasts,
tens of millions of daityas, and Bāṇa, splitting the mountain.

Even today, O Pārtha, that cleft in Krauñca remains,

through which swans and curlews fly to Mānasa.
Having slain Bāṇa, the mighty spear returned again to Skanda,
just as a virtuous man's mind, sent out and brought back, returns.

Then the gods led by Hari and Indra sang praises, and the foremost apsarases led by Rambhā danced;
playing all kinds of musical instruments, the immortals chanted repeatedly, "Well done! Well done!"

Thus ends the thirty-second chapter, titled "Description of the Slaying of Tāraka by Kumāra" in the Kumāreśvaramāhātmya within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Purāṇa, the great Purāṇa in eighty-one thousand verses.