Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 119
फूल्कारैरुद्धतं वह्निं शमयामास तारकः । निरृतिंखड्गमादाय हत्वा तेन न्यपातयत्
phūlkārairuddhataṃ vahniṃ śamayāmāsa tārakaḥ | nirṛtiṃkhaḍgamādāya hatvā tena nyapātayat
Par les souffles impétueux de son haleine, Tāraka éteignit le Feu flamboyant. Puis, saisissant l’épée, il frappa Nirṛti avec elle et la jeta à terre.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages
Scene: Tāraka exhales violent blasts that snuff out Agni’s flames, smoke curling into a dark sky; then he seizes a sword and cuts down Nirṛti, casting the dark goddess/force to the ground as embers die around them.
FAQs
Unchecked ego can even ‘extinguish’ sacred fire symbolically; hence inner discipline and divine grace are needed to restore sanctity.
None; the verse is part of the battle account.
None.