Tārakāsura: The Asura Slain by Kārttikeya

Tārakāsura, also called Tāraka, was a powerful asura. He was the son of Vajrāṅga and Vārāṅgī. After a vara (boon) from Brahmā, only a child of Bhagavān Śiva could kill him. With this vara he won all three worlds, drove the devas out of svarga (heaven) and caused great suffering to all beings. He was at last slain by Kārttikeya, the son of Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī.

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa calls him a daitya and says Brahmā’s vara named a seven-year-old child. The Matsya Mahā Purāṇa calls him a dānava and says the vara named a son of Śiva. The Śiva Purāṇa also tells his story. His life is told in the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, the Śiva Purāṇa and the Matsya Mahā Purāṇa.

Lineage

Tārakāsura was the son of Vajrāṅga and Vārāṅgī. His father Vajrāṅga was a son of Diti and Kaśyapa.

The Matsya Mahā Purāṇa says that Diti was his grandmother, and that his birth was meant to avenge her shame. Indra had cut her unborn child into forty-nine pieces, and these became the forty-nine Maruts (Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 146).

The Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Pārvatī Khaṇḍa, gives the same parents. It sets out the chain of events like this: Diti’s grief at the loss of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyāksha, then the birth of Vajrāṅga, then Vajrāṅga’s pity for Vārāṅgī, then the birth of Tārakāsura, then Tāraka’s conquest, then the birth of Pārvatī, then Pārvatī’s tapas (austerity), then the union of Śiva and Pārvatī, then the birth of Kārttikeya, and then Tāraka’s death.

Vajrāṅga and Vārāṅgī

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, tells that Tāraka’s birth came from a father’s pity for a suffering wife, and not from a wish for power.

Vajrāṅga was himself a great daitya. He had beaten Indra in combat with bare hands. At Brahmā’s request he let Indra go. He asked nothing for himself except leave to perform tapas. Vajrāṅga did four thousand years of hard tapas beside a mountain lake. His wife Vārāṅgī sat on the shore and performed her own tapas.

In those years Indra troubled and frightened Vārāṅgī again and again. He came in many forms: a monkey, a goat, a serpent, fire and wind. She bore it all without anger.

When Vajrāṅga ended his tapas, he found Vārāṅgī weeping behind a tree. She asked him for one thing only, a son who would protect her. Vajrāṅga was moved by pity and by his duty as a householder (gṛhastha-dharma), and he decided to seek a mighty son. Brahmā at once appeared and gave this vara:

“Your son will be born, a great warrior named Tāraka, who will undo the hair-adornment (śirorūhālaṅkāra) of the deva-wives.”

(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 15)

Birth after a thousand years

Vārāṅgī carried Tārakāsura in her womb for a full thousand years. When he was born, all three worlds shook:

The earth trembled all over.
The great oceans heaved and swelled.
The mountains moved from their places.
Terrible winds rose in every direction.
The ṛshis who were doing japa (silent repetition of mantras) ran away in fear.
The sun and the other lights of the sky lost their brightness.
Snow fell from the sky in every direction.

The great asuras came to see the birth with joy. The asura women sang and danced, and a great festival (mahotsava) broke out among all the daityas. Devendra (Indra) and all the devas fell into despair. (Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 15)

Coronation and his plan

Tāraka was born already knowing all the śāstras. The great asura chiefs, Kuraṅga, Mahisha and others, crowned him in an abhisheka (coronation). Because of his great strength, the armies of the three worlds came to serve him. The sun and moon went before him as lamps. Vāyu attended him with fans. The planets (grahas) read out his orders (ādeśas) as proclamations.

Once he was settled, Tāraka called the daityas together and spoke these words about how to proceed:

“Asuras! To face the devas, tapas alone is enough. I will first perform the most severe tapas. Through that tapas we will conquer the suras and enjoy all three worlds. A man of proper strategy (yukta-upāya) gains lasting prosperity.”

The asuras were amazed and praised him. (Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 15)

The great tapas at Pāriyātra mountain

Tāraka went to the northern side of Pāriyātra mountain. There was a beautiful cave sanctuary with flowers of every season, healing herbs, sacred pools and hidden chambers. He received the Paśupati-dīkshā, which is initiation into the Paśupati way of Śiva’s own worship. He began japa of the pañca-mantras, the five sacred mantras of Śiva. His tapas went through hard stages:

For many years he sat in the middle of five fires (pañcāgni-madhya) and ate nothing.
Each day he cut off a part of his own flesh and offered it into the fire.
In time all his flesh was gone, and only a skeleton was left.
Even in this state his tapas went on.
His tejas (radiant power) became so fierce that all creatures everywhere felt scorched.
Suras and asuras alike were gripped by alarm.

(Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 15)

The vara: no death except by a seven-year-old child

Brahmā was greatly pleased by Tāraka’s tapas. He came down and offered him any vara. Tāraka asked that no living being, whether by weapons of any power, by devas or by any other being, could kill him.

Brahmā answered that full immortality was not possible. Whoever is born must die, and not even the creator can change that. He asked Tāraka to name one exception.

Tāraka thought it over, proud of his power, and named his condition:

“Grant me avadhyatva (freedom from being killed) by all beings and all weapons, except by a seven-year-old child. Only a seven-year-old may kill me. All others cannot.”

He reckoned that no seven-year-old could ever have the strength to face him. He did not foresee that the seven-year-old child born of Bhagavān Śiva would be unlike any natural child. Brahmā gave the vara, saying “Tathāstu” (“So be it”). (Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 15)

The Matsya Mahā Purāṇa says Tārakāsura performed tapas of great severity and received from Brahmā a vara of safety from harm. The one exception was that a son of Śiva could kill him. Śiva, the great master of yoga, was absorbed in endless meditation. (Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 147–148)

Conquest of the three worlds

With the vara in hand, Tāraka went back to his kingdom and sat on a great throne. Apsarasas danced before him and gandharvas sang his praise. Then he began his conquest. He won all of existence step by step. The devas were beaten in battle after battle. He took Indra’s own throne and place. He gave out the offices of the loka-pālas (guardians of the directions) afresh:

Nimi as Agni
Kālanemi as Yama
Stambha as Nirṛti
Mahisha as Varuṇa
Mesha as Vāyu
Kujambha as Kubera

All the fruits of yajña went to Tārakāsura. He took the Śārvīka-tīrtha on the shore of the great ocean and made it his palace. It was twelve yojanas wide and had copper-plated walls. The devas scattered and were made to wander in monkey form, shut out from their shares of yajña. (Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21)

The Matsya Mahā Purāṇa tells it this way. Armed with his vara, Tārakāsura swept through all three worlds. He drove Indra out of Svargaloka. He seized the vehicles, weapons, women and wealth of the devas, and he ruled over all beings with a hard hand. The devas fled to Brahmā and Bhagavān Vishṇu for advice. Both gave the same answer: Śiva must be led to marry and have the son who was meant to be born. (Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 149–151)

The great war and the ten commanders

Before this final victory a great war was fought between the devas and the asuras. Tārakāsura gathered ten of his greatest warriors as chief commanders: Grashaṇa, Mahisha, Virūpāksha, Śumbha, Niśumbha, Kālanemi, Jambha, Vātāpi, Tāmra and Triguṇa. The army of the devas stood against them under Indra. The main fights were these:

Grashaṇa and Yama. A long bāhuyuddha (fight with bare arms). It is one of the best-known single combats of the war. It passed through exchanges of weapons, wrestling and a long test of raw strength. Neither won, until Grashaṇa was later killed by the Sudarśana of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
Jambha and Kubera. A great exchange of astras (divine missiles), including the gāruḍāstra, the saṃvartāstra and other divine weapons. Kubera’s crown was struck from his head, and the fight turned several times.
Kālanemi’s sūrya-māyā. Kālanemi made many false suns with the śambara-astra. The battlefield fell into confusion, and the deva forces wrongly attacked one another.
The careful action of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Bhagavān Vishṇu fought several daityas, wounding some and sparing others. He spared Mahisha and Śumbha and Niśumbha, who were fated to die at the hand of a woman. Grashaṇa was killed by the Sudarśana, and Jambha by an ardhacandra arrow charged with the Aghoramantra.
Tāraka enters the battle. When his generals fell, Tārakāsura went into the fight himself. He beat every deva general in turn, until the whole army of the devas was broken.

(Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapters 16–21)

The talk with Bhagavān Vishṇu

The devas were turned into monkeys and taken into Tāraka’s court as entertainers. Bhagavān Vishṇu came there himself, dressed as a monkey, and performed among the troop. Tāraka gave the monkey troop abhaya (freedom from fear) and called the three worlds his “house”. Then Bhagavān Vishṇu showed who he was and held Tāraka to his word. He claimed the three worlds for the devas.

Bhagavān Vishṇu then gave Tāraka a long teaching on kāla (time). He spoke of impermanence and of the daitya lords before him who were greater than Tāraka. He spoke of how no rule can last for ever, and of the chains of kāma (desire), krodha (anger) and moha (delusion). Tāraka’s reply was wiser than expected:

“I too know this world is aśāśvata (impermanent). This world has fallen into the fire called kāla, a blaze no one can measure. I have already seen this. Bound by jealousy, desire, anger, fear and delusion, the world cannot wake up. I know you are the supreme prabhu among all beings. But what can I do? Our strong asura nature (asura-svabhāva) stops us from thinking of you. Some serve you through bhakti (loving devotion); some through vaira (enmity). You must look on all of them with the same dayā (mercy). You are the ātman within all creatures.”

After this talk Tāraka let the devas move freely in the three worlds. He bound himself to this by a śapatha (solemn oath). (Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21)

The plan set in motion

The devas took shelter with Brahmā. He told them: “This Tāraka cannot be killed by any sura or asura. The one who can kill him has not yet been born. The only way is the child of Śiva.”

This word set off a long chain of events. Rātri entered the womb of Menā. Pārvatī was born. Nārada arranged her match. Manmatha went on his mission. Kāma was burned. Pārvatī performed tapas. Her svayaṃvara followed. Śiva and Pārvatī were united, and Kārttikeya was born. (Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapters 21–25)

Death at the hands of Kārttikeya

When Kārttikeya was born and made Senāpati (commander), the devas set out on their last campaign. Tāraka gathered all the asura forces, and the battles were fierce. Warriors such as Mucukunda fought bravely. Vīrabhadra came close to killing Tāraka, but Nārada stopped him. Nārada explained that only Kārttikeya could strike the last blow, as the condition of the vara required.

Kārttikeya faced Tārakāsura and hurled his divine Śakti weapon. The Śakti is a spear of gathered divine power. It struck Tāraka and cut off his head. With his death his army broke and scattered, and the devas won back svarga. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 30)

The Kaumārika Khaṇḍa adds more about the last act, in Chapters 31–32. Indra and Bhagavān Vishṇu first crowned Kumāra as Senāpati in a formal abhisheka, and then the army marched. Tārakāsura saw in the seven-year-old warrior coming toward him the exact condition of his own vara. The Śakti weapon struck and cut off Tāraka’s head with a single blow. To mark the victory, Kumāra set up the Stambheśvara Liṅga on a victory pillar at the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama. The assembled devas set up the Siddheśvara Liṅga in thanks. (Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapters 31–32, 35–36)

The Matsya Mahā Purāṇa tells the end this way. The plan of Pārvatī’s birth, her marriage to Śiva and the birth of Kumāra was carried out over a vast span of time. Kumāra, the son of Śiva and Devasenāpati (commander of the devas’ army), came to the battlefield. Tārakāsura knew that the limit set by his vara had come, yet he fought with full fury. Kumāra’s śakti weapon pierced Tārakāsura and destroyed him. This fulfilled the terms of the vara and freed all the worlds from his harsh rule. (Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 159)

The Matsya Mahā Purāṇa also counts the story of Tārakāsura (the Tārakāsura Upākhyāna) as the sixth of the twelve wars between the devas and the asuras.

The Śiva Purāṇa: Pārvatī Khaṇḍa

The Pārvatī Khaṇḍa of the Rudra Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa gives Tārakāsura’s threat as the reason for the whole chain of events told in that Khaṇḍa. It names his rule over the three worlds at the very start as the reason Pārvatī must be born, must perform tapas, and must be wed to Śiva.

The need for a son of Śiva

The opening of the Pārvatī Khaṇḍa says that Tārakāsura had conquered all three lokas. No being in creation, whether sura, asura or human, could kill him. Brahmā had said that only a seven-year-old child could meet the terms of his vara, and no ordinary seven-year-old could do it. Only the seven-year-old son of Śiva, born with the divine śakti of his father, would be enough. This is the need that drives the whole Pārvatī Khaṇḍa.

(Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Pārvatī Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1–7)

The Śiva Purāṇa: Kumāra Khaṇḍa

The Kumāra Khaṇḍa tells the last stages of the war against Tārakāsura in detail. The pairs who fought included Tāraka against Indra, Śaṃprada against Agni, Jambha against Yama, Mahāprabha against Nirṛti, and others. Tāraka beat Indra and his elephant Airāvata. He broke the gadā (mace) of Bhagavān Vishṇu, struck Bhagavān Vishṇu down with his śakti, and shattered the Sudarśana cakra. Bhagavān Vishṇu then took up the Nandaka sword (khaḍga).

Before the final fight, Tāraka made a long speech on the battlefield. He listed the wrongs done by Indra and Bhagavān Vishṇu over the ages. He presented his own rule as a remedy for the faults of the devas. He kicked Indra down and took his vajra. He struck down Vīrabhadra. Brahmā then told Kārttikeya that he alone could fulfil the condition of Tāraka’s vara. Kārttikeya stepped forward and killed Tārakāsura with his śakti weapon in single combat.

(Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Kumāra Khaṇḍa, Chapters 7–10)

Sources

Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapters 14–25, 31–32, 35–36
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapters 20, 28–30
Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Pārvatī Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1–7
Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Kumāra Khaṇḍa, Chapters 7–10
Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 145–159