Skandapurana 7.11.24_40

7.11.24_40

na lajjā samarebhyetya4 yuṣmākaṃ dānaveśvarāḥ .
athavā na balaṃ vosti mithyā devā hi vo jitāḥ5 ..3..
bahavo balavantaśca mṛgaścāhaṃ vanecaraḥ6 .
na manye dharmayuddhe vo matirdānavasattamāḥ ..4..
na mamāsti dhanuḥ kiñcinna śastraṃ ca tathāvidham .
saśastrairbahubhiryena yuddheyamasureśvarāḥ7 ..5 . .
te yūyaṃ yadi manyadhvaṃ śastrāṇi tyajatādhunā .
mayā caikaikaśaḥ sarve yudhyadhvaṃ nyāyamāsthitāḥ ..6..
sanatkumāra uvāca
tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā sondhako dānaveśvaraḥ8 .
uvāca sarvāndaityendrān yugāntāmbudavannadan ..7. .
evametadyathāhāyaṃ mṛgosuramahārathāḥ .
santyajāmādya9 śastrāṇi yodhāmaikaikaśastathā . .8 ..
prahlāda uvāca
abuddhireṣā daityendrā yathāhāyaṃ mṛgādhamaḥ .
samānānāṃ samaissārdhametadyuddhaṃ praśasyate ..9..
na mṛgāṇāñca śastrāṇi na bāhubalamityuta .
vadhyante ca sadā śastraireṣa dharmaḥ satāṃ mataḥ . .8.103.1 0 . .
te vayaṃ kathamutmṛjya svadharmaṃ dānaveśvarāḥ .
mṛgadharmaṃ samāsthāya yudhyema paśavo yathā . .1 1 ..
mṛgādhamoyaṃ durvṛtta10 avadhyo nāsmadādibhiḥ .
- - - mā11 vicāro vo mṛge bhavatu sarvaśaḥ ..12..
māyāmāsthāya duṣṭātmā kopyayaṃ surapāṃsanaḥ .
asmān vañcayituṃ daityāḥ kāṃkṣate sudurātmavān ..1 3 . .

'Have you no shame, O lords of Danavas, in coming to battle? / Or perhaps you have no strength, and it was falsely that you conquered the gods!
You are many and strong, while I am a beast of the forest; / I do not think, O best of Danavas, that your mind is set on righteous combat.
I have no bow whatsoever, nor any weapon of that kind, / by which I might fight against many armed ones, O lords of Asuras.
If you agree, cast down your weapons now, / and fight with me one by one, adhering to the rules of fair combat.'
Sanatkumāra said: / Hearing that speech of his, Andhaka, the lord of the Danavas, / spoke to all the Daitya leaders, roaring like a cloud at the end of an era:
'It is just as this beast has said, O great Daitya car-warriors! / Let us cast away our weapons today, and fight one by one!'
Prahlāda said: / 'This is folly, O lords of Daityas, just as this vile beast has spoken! / A battle is praised when it is between equals with equals.
Beasts possess neither weapons nor the strength of arms; / yet they are ever slain with weapons: this is considered the law by the righteous.
How can we, O lords of Danavas, abandon our own duty, / adopt the ways of beasts, and fight like animals?
This vile, wicked beast is not unfit to be killed by us and our kind. / […] Let there be no hesitation whatsoever on your part regarding this beast!
Employing sorcery, this wicked-souled defiler of the gods, / full of evil intent, wishes to deceive us, O Daityas!