Vamana Purana — Skanda Slays Taraka & Mahisha, Shloka 69
Skanda’s Svastyayana and the Slaying of Taraka and Mahisha
तारको भद्रकाल्या च तथोलूखलया रणे वध्यते चैकचूडाया दार्यते परमायुधैः
tārako bhadrakālyā ca tatholūkhalayā raṇe vadhyate caikacūḍāyā dāryate paramāyudhaiḥ
तारकः भद्रकाल्या रणे वध्यते; तथोलूखलया च, एकचूडया च परमायुधैः दार्यते।
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FAQs
The name Tāraka is used for more than one demonic figure across Purāṇic corpora. In this Andhaka-cycle battle catalog, the identification should be made cautiously; the verse itself does not supply the Skanda narrative markers (birth-boon context, Skanda’s leadership) that would confirm the well-known Tārakāsura episode.
In Andhaka-related traditions, fierce forms of the Goddess often appear as decisive forces supporting Śiva’s cosmic order. Naming Bhadrakālī emphasizes the terrifying, protective energy (śakti) that overwhelms demonic hosts when ordinary assaults are insufficient.
They are presented as named female combatants/śaktis in the battle roll-call. Purāṇic battle chapters frequently list such figures to convey the breadth of divine forces; without additional surrounding verses, their precise mythic biographies remain unspecified here.