Skandapurana 1.4.65.33

1.4.65.33

32 kiṃnarairgīyamānāṃ kumārastutiṃ śrutvā tārakāsureṇopasthitādbālakānnijavadhaṃ niścitya mantribhiḥ saha samantrya samastadaityasenāsaṃnāhapūrvakaṃ devaiḥ saṃgrāmārthaṃ svapurānniryāṇam, tato devadaityasaṃgrāmārambhaḥ, tasminghorasaṃgrāme tārakāsurasainikairdevasainyaparābhavakaraṇam, atha kumārasvāminastārakāsurasaṃmukhe yuddhārthamavasthānam tārakāsuraṃ śivabhaktaṃ dṛṣṭvā kumārasvāmino manasi viṣṇorupadeśe'pi tadvadhakaraṇe'pravṛttiḥ,tasminnavasare tārakāsureṇa viṣṇurudrādidevajarjarīkaraṇam, śaṃkaraṃ pratyabhiyāṃtaṃ tārakaṃ dṛṣṭvā''kāśavāṇyā kumārasvāminastārakāsurahananecchotpattiḥ, tataḥ kumāreṇa tārakavadhārthaṃ mayūrādyutplutya viṣṇuṃ praśasya tārakasya śirasā nirgatāṃ śaktiṃ nirīkṣya niḥśaktikasya tārakāsurasyopari nijaśaktiṃ visṛjya tārakāsuravadhakaraṇam, tataḥ keśavapreraṇayā nijaśaktyā bāṇādidaityavyālādisamanvitakrauñcaparvatabhammīkaraṇama tataḥ kumārasvāmino devagandharvādikṛtavijayotsavavarṇanam ... . ... ... 139 1

32. Hearing the praise of Kumāra sung by the kiṃnaras, the demon Tāraka realizes his own death will come from the child who has arrived, confers with his ministers, equips the entire demon army, and marches out of his city to fight the gods; then the battle between the gods and demons begins; in that terrible battle, the soldiers of the demon Tāraka defeat the divine army; then Kumārasvāmin stands before the demon Tāraka to fight; seeing that the demon Tāraka is a devotee of Śiva, Kumārasvāmin is reluctant to slay him despite Viṣṇu's instruction; at that moment, the demon Tāraka batters the gods headed by Viṣṇu and Rudra; seeing Tāraka advance towards Śaṃkara, Kumārasvāmin conceives the desire to slay the demon Tāraka due to a heavenly voice; then Kumāra leaps from his peacock to slay Tāraka, praises Viṣṇu, observes the energy departing from Tāraka's head, and hurling his own śakti at the powerless demon Tāraka, slays him; then, prompted by Keśava, he smashes with his śakti Mount Krauñca along with Bāṇa and other demons and serpents; then the victory celebration performed for Kumārasvāmin by the gods, gandharvas, and others is described. 139 1