Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39
कार्त्तिकेयस्ततः शक्त्या निचकर्त रिपोः शिरः । तच्छिरो निपपातोर्व्यां तारकस्य च तत्क्षणात् । एवं स जयमापेदे कार्त्तिकेयो महाप्रभुः
kārttikeyastataḥ śaktyā nicakarta ripoḥ śiraḥ | tacchiro nipapātorvyāṃ tārakasya ca tatkṣaṇāt | evaṃ sa jayamāpede kārttikeyo mahāprabhuḥ
Kemudian Kārttikeya, dengan śakti (lembing sucinya), memenggal kepala musuh. Pada saat itu juga, kepala Tāraka jatuh ke bumi. Demikianlah, Tuhan yang maha berwibawa, Kārttikeya, meraih kemenangan.
Narrator (contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages in Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha kṣetra (contextual frame)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Kārttikeya, radiant and youthful, drives his śakti through the asura; the severed head of Tāraka falls to earth as devas look on in astonishment; the battlefield is set against a Himalayan, Kedāra-like grandeur.
FAQs
Adharma is decisively overcome when divine power is aligned with righteous purpose; dharma ultimately prevails.
The episode is narrated within the Kedārakhaṇḍa framework, linking the victory narrative to Kedāra’s sacred landscape.
None is specified; this is a battlefield narrative describing the demon’s defeat.