Adhyaya 69

Verse 1

व्यास उवाच । तारेयो बलसंपन्नः शक्रतुल्यपराक्रमः । जघान विशिखैस्स्कन्दं पितृघातिनमाहवे

Vyāsa said: Tārēya, endowed with strength and with valor equal to Indra’s, struck Skanda in battle with his arrows—Skanda, the slayer of his father.

Verse 2

ततस्स्कन्दो महाबाहुर्हरितुल्यपराक्रमः । विचकर्त शरांस्तांस्तान्निर्बिभेद शरोत्तमैः

Then Skanda, mighty-armed, whose valor equaled Hari’s, struck again and again with his finest arrows, cutting down and piercing through those foes.

Verse 3

स दैत्यस्सहसा स्कंदं छादयामास मार्गणैः । असंभ्रान्तः प्रचिच्छेद विशाखो विशिखैस्तदा

That Daitya suddenly showered Skanda with arrows; then Viśākha, unflustered, cut them down with his own shafts.

Verse 4

तारेयोग्निशरैः स्कंदं जघान रणमूर्धनि । विशिखं भिदुरप्रख्यं चखान हरनंदने

With star-like, fire-tipped arrows he struck Skanda at the very height of battle; and he drove into Hara’s son a barbed shaft, famed as a splitter.

Verse 5

वैश्वानरेण सेनानीस्तत्र संपर्यवारयत् । रौद्रमस्त्रं पुनर्दैत्यः प्रेषयामास तं प्रति

There the commander checked the attack with the Vaiśvānara (fire) weapon. Then the demon once again launched the Raudra missile against him.

Verse 6

तन्निरस्तं कृतं तेन बाणेनास्फालितेन च । अघोरं प्राक्षिपद्दैत्यो घोररूपं सुदारुणं

That attack was repelled by him with an arrow, knocking it aside; then the Daitya hurled forth the Aghora, a terribly fierce and dreadful force of most frightful form.

Verse 7

भूधरा विटपास्सिंहास्तथा सर्पादयः शराः । धावंति पार्वतीपुत्रं कोटिकोटिसहस्रशः

Mountains, trees, lions, serpents, and the rest—like arrows—rush upon Skanda, Pārvatī’s son, in tens of thousands, in crores upon crores.

Verse 8

छित्वा तांस्तुशरान्स्कंदो बिभेद दैत्यपुंगवं । आपादं शीर्षपर्यंतं शरैरग्न्यर्कसन्निभैः

Having cut down those arrows, Skanda then pierced the foremost of the Daityas, from foot to head, with shafts blazing like fire and the sun.

Verse 9

स्वर्णपुंखाः शरा लग्ना देहे दैत्यपतेर्भृशं । रेजुस्ते स्वर्णशकला यथा कृष्णशिलोच्चये

Golden-feathered arrows, embedded deeply in the body of the lord of the Daityas, shone brilliantly—like flakes of gold upon a mound of black stone.

Verse 10

तस्य देहात्ततश्चैव बहु सुस्राव शोणितं । यथा च माधवे मासि पुरुपुष्पश्शमी तरुः

Then, from his body, a great deal of blood flowed out—just as, in the month of Mādhava, the śamī tree bursts forth in abundant blossoms.

Verse 11

स्यंदनाधश्चराश्वाश्च शिश्यिरे भूमिलग्नकाः । अथ क्रुद्धो महादैत्यः शूलं भीमं च दारुणं

The horses and those beneath the chariot collapsed, stuck fast to the ground. Then the great Daitya, enraged, raised a dreadful and terrifying trident.

Verse 12

धृत्वा तं प्रतिचिक्षेप कालमृत्युसमप्रभं । पार्वतीनंदनेनापि शूलं पाशुपतेन ह

Seizing it, he hurled it back—radiant like Time and Death; and even the Pāśupata trident, wielded by Pārvatī’s son, was thus cast back.

Verse 13

क्षिप्तं तेन कृतं दग्धं मुहूर्तेन रणाजिरे । पुनः शक्तिं मुमोचाथ ब्रह्मदत्तान्तु दानवः

What he hurled was, in a moment, burned away upon the battlefield. Then the demon Brahmadatta again released his spear-weapon.

Verse 14

शूलं प्रतिजघानाथ शतकूटसमप्रभम् । ततोऽस्त्रे वज्रसंकाशे जघटाते वियत्यपि

The Lord struck back with a trident, blazing like a hundred mountain-peaks. Then, even in mid-air, the two weapons—shining like thunderbolts—clashed together.

Verse 15

तयोस्सवीर्ययोरस्त्रे धरण्यां प्रणिपेततुः । ततो दैत्यपतिः स्कंदं शरैरग्निशिखोपमैः

Then the two powerful weapons fell down upon the earth. Thereupon the lord of the Daityas assailed Skanda with arrows resembling tongues of flame.

Verse 16

अर्दयामास सहसा घनधारेव पर्वतं । तांस्तु च्छित्वा महाबाहुः सेनानीश्चापमस्य वै

All at once he struck him down, like a mountain battered by a torrential downpour. Then the mighty-armed commander, having cut them down, seized his bow indeed.

Verse 17

विचकर्तार्धचंद्रेण तथा यंतुः शिरोमहत् । तथाश्वान्बहुभिर्बाणैः पातयामास भूतले

With a half-moon-shaped blade he severed the mighty head of Yantu; and with many arrows he likewise brought down the horses to the ground.

Verse 18

गृहीत्वा मुसलं वेगात्स दुद्राव स्थले गुहं । जघान तेन दैत्येन्द्रः शिखिनं शिखिवाहनं

Seizing a mace with speed, he rushed at Guha on the battlefield; with it the lord of the Daityas struck down Śikhin—he whose mount is the peacock.

Verse 19

ततो मोहं गतो बर्ही प्रचकंपे मुहुर्मुहुः । ततः स्कंदः पुनस्तं च जघानासुरपुंगवं

Then Barhī fell into delusion and trembled again and again. Thereupon Skanda struck down that foremost of the asuras once more.

Verse 20

प्रचिच्छेदासिना वेगान्मुसलं चातिदारुणं । तारेयः शक्तिमादाय जघान क्रौंचदारणम्

With swift force he cleaved the exceedingly dreadful mace with his sword; then Tāreya, taking up his spear, struck down Krauñca-dāraṇa (the cleaver of Mount Krauñca).

Verse 21

सोपि शक्तिं मुमोचाथ अमोघां दुष्टघातिनीम् । ततः संदह्य सा शक्तिर्विश्वप्रलयकारिणी

Then he too released an unfailing divine weapon—one that slays the wicked. After burning everything, that power became the cause of a world-dissolution.

Verse 22

यमदंडसमानं च भित्वा पुनर्गुहं गता । स गतासुः पपातोर्व्यां चालयंश्च वसुंधरां

Having shattered what was like Yama’s rod, she returned again into the cave. He, his life departed, fell upon the earth, shaking the ground beneath.

Verse 23

पुष्पधूपादिभिः स्कंदः सर्वदेवैः प्रपूजितः

Skanda was duly worshipped by all the gods with flowers, incense, and other offerings.

Verse 69

इति श्रीपाद्मपुराणे प्रथमे सृष्टिखंडे तारेयवधोनामैकोनसप्ततितमोऽध्यायः

Thus ends the sixty-ninth chapter, entitled “The Slaying of Tāreya,” in the first book (Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa) of the holy Padma Purāṇa.