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
अल्पाक्षरोऽयं मन्त्रः किम्? दैत्यः किमर्थं सस्फुरो दृश्यते? इत्युक्त्वा दैत्य-मुक्तं गृहीत्वा कन्दुकं च तम्।
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.