Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 15
तारकवाक्य-शक्रविष्णुवीरभद्रयुद्धवर्णनम् — Account of Tāraka’s declarations and the battle involving Śakra (Indra), Viṣṇu, and Vīrabhadra
इत्येवमुक्त्वा स तदा महाबलः कुमारमुद्दिश्य ययौ च योद्धुम् । जग्राह शक्तिं परमाद्भुतां च स तारको देववरान्बभाषे
ityevamuktvā sa tadā mahābalaḥ kumāramuddiśya yayau ca yoddhum | jagrāha śaktiṃ paramādbhutāṃ ca sa tārako devavarānbabhāṣe
فلما قال ذلك، تقدّم تاراكا شديد البأس، موجّهًا قصده إلى كُمارا (سكاندا) ليقاتل. وأمسك برمحٍ عجيبٍ سامٍ يُدعى شَكتي (śakti)، ثم خاطب صفوة الآلهة.
Suta Goswami (narrating the battle narrative to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Role: destructive
FAQs
It depicts the outward force of adharma—pride and aggression—rising against the divinely empowered Kumāra. In Shaiva understanding, such conflict symbolizes the soul’s struggle where grace-backed discernment and divine agency ultimately subdue egoic power.
Kumāra is a śakti of Shiva’s purposeful manifestation (saguṇa līlā) protecting cosmic order. The verse supports saguṇa-upāsanā: devotion to Shiva’s manifest forms that actively remove obstacles and restore dharma.
A practical takeaway is to steady the mind before confrontation by japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and to invoke Shiva’s protective presence through simple saguṇa-bhakti (prayer to Shiva/Skanda) for courage and clarity.