Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52
एवं तेऽष्टौ लोकपा योद्धुकामाः सर्वे मिलित्वा तारकं हंतुमेव । पुरस्कृत्वा शांकरिं विश्ववंद्यं सेनापतिं चात्मविदां वरिष्ठम्
evaṃ te'ṣṭau lokapā yoddhukāmāḥ sarve militvā tārakaṃ haṃtumeva | puraskṛtvā śāṃkariṃ viśvavaṃdyaṃ senāpatiṃ cātmavidāṃ variṣṭham
Ainsi les huit gardiens des mondes, tous avides de combat, s’unirent avec un seul dessein : abattre Tāraka. Plaçant en tête la Puissance śaiva, vénérée par l’univers entier, ainsi que le Commandant suprême, le plus éminent des connaisseurs du Soi, ils s’avancèrent.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced)
Scene: Eight lokapālas in battle formation, converging with a single intent; at the front shines Śāṅkarī Śakti (personified radiance) and the commander Skanda, serene yet formidable, embodying both self-knowledge and martial command.
FAQs
Victory over adharma requires unity under Śaiva grace and enlightened leadership—Skanda is portrayed as both warrior and knower of the Self.
The action is framed within the sanctified Antarvedī region (between Gaṅgā and Yamunā), a spiritually potent landscape in the Purāṇic imagination.
None explicitly; the verse emphasizes divine strategy and leadership rather than ritual.