Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 73
अल्पाक्षरो न मंत्रः किं सस्फुरो दैत्य दृश्यते । एवमुक्त्वा दैत्यमुक्तं गृहीत्वा कंदुकं च तम्
alpākṣaro na maṃtraḥ kiṃ sasphuro daitya dṛśyate | evamuktvā daityamuktaṃ gṛhītvā kaṃdukaṃ ca tam
‘इतक्या थोड्या अक्षरांचा हा कसला मंत्र? दैत्य का थरथरत दिसतो?’ असे म्हणत त्याने दैत्याने सोडलेले अस्त्र जणू चेंडूच असल्याप्रमाणे पकडले।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages
Scene: Tāraka releases a blazing missile; Skanda, smiling, catches it mid-flight as if catching a child’s ball; the asura’s face shows shock and trembling.
FAQs
Divine power rooted in dharma renders hostile forces insignificant; true strength is effortless when aligned with cosmic order.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa’s heroic narration of Skanda.
None in this shloka; it is a battlefield episode emphasizing divine prowess.