Chapter 69 - The Slaying of Tāreya

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Vyāsa said:

1. Tāreya, possessed of power and resembling Indra in valour, struck, with arrows, Skanda, who had killed his father in the war.

2. Then Skanda of mighty arms and equal to Viṣṇu in valour cut off and broke those arrows.

3. The demon suddenly screened Skanda with arrows. Then Skanda, without getting perturbed, cut them off with (his) arrows.

4. Tāreya struck Skanda with fire-like arrows at the peak of fight. He (also) hurled an arrow resembling the thunderbolt.

5. Kārtikeya warded it off with a fire-like arrow. The demon then discharged at him a fierce missile.

6. He dispelled it with an arrow that he struck at it. Then the demon hurled a very fearful missile of a terrible form at Kārtikeya.

7. Then thousands of crores of mountains, trees, lions and serpents in the form of arrows rushed at the son of Pārvatī (i.e. Kārtikeya).

8. Having cut them off Skanda pierced the best of the demons from his feet to his head (i.e. top to toe) with arrows resembling fire and the sun.

9. Arrows, with their feathered parts made of gold, stuck in a very large measure, to the body of the lord of demons. They shone (on his body) as pieces of gold shine on a black mountain.^[1]

10. Then from his body profuse blood flowed out, as in the spring the Śamī tree puts forth flowers profusely.

11-13a. The horses under (i.e. which carried) the chariot, lay clinging to the ground. Then the great angry demon holding a fierce and terrible lance resembling death at the end of the world, hurled it (at Kārtikeya). The son of Pārvatī too burnt it in a moment in the battle by discharging a lance presided over by Paśupati.

13b-14. Then the demon again hurled a (missile called) śakti given (to him) by Brahmā. Kārtikeya struck back a lance powerful like a hundred mallets. Then missiles resembling the thunderbolt struck each other even in the sky.

15-16. The missiles of the two who were brave, fell down on the ground. As the stream of (water from) clouds suddenly strikes a mountain, so the lord of demons struck Kārtikeya with arrows like fire-flames.

17. Then cutting them off and also his arrow the mighty-armed Kārtikeya also cut off the mighty head of his charioteer with an arrow with a crescent-shaped head. Then with many arrows he struck down on the ground his horses.

18. On the (battle-) field he, taking a pestle (in his hand) speedily rushed at Kārtikeya; (and) with that the chief of demons struck Kārtikeya, whose vehicle is the peacock.

19-20a. Then the peacock swooned, and trembled repeatedly. Then Kārtikeya again struck the best of the demons and with his sword cut off with force that very fearful pestle.

20b-22a. Taking a (missile called) śakti Tāreya struck Kārtikeya. He too, discharged an unfailing śakti, which killed the wicked. Then that śakti (capable of) bringing about the end of the world, struck (Tāreya) who resembled the staff of Yama, and again went (back) to Kārtikeya.

22b-23. Causing the earth to tremble he (i.e. Tāreya) fell down on the ground. Kārtikeya was worshipped by all gods with flowers, incense etc.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kṛṣṇaśiloccaya—or Kṛṣṇaparvata, is an epithet of the Raivataka mountain.