hat boon, a loud sound arose from all those creatures
inspired with joy, filling the three worlds.

"Accompanied by that vast host, Skanda then set out for the destruction of
the Daityas and the protection of the denizens of heaven. Exertion, and
Victory, and Righteousness, and Success, and Prosperity, and Courage, and
the Scriptures (in their embodied forms) proceeded in the van of
Kartikeya's army, O king! With that terrible force, which was armed with
lances, mallets, blazing brands, maces, heavy clubs, arrows, darts and
spears, and which was decked with beautiful ornaments and armour, and
which uttered roars like those of a proud lion, the divine Guha set out.

"Beholding him, all the Daityas, Rakshasas and Danavas, anxious with fear,
fled away on all sides. Armed with diverse weapons, the celestials
pursued them. Seeing (the foe flying away), Skanda, endued with energy
and might, became inflamed with wrath. He repeatedly hurled his terrible
weapon, the dart (he had received from Agni). The energy that he then
displayed resembled a fire fed with libations of clarified butter. While
the dart was repeatedly hurled by Skanda of immeasurable energy, meteoric
flashes, O king, fell upon the Earth. Thunderbolts also, with tremendous
noise, fell upon the earth. Everything became as frightful O king, as it
becomes on the day of universal destruction. When that terrible dart was
once hurled by the son of Agni, millions of darts issued from it, O bull
of Bharata's race.

"The puissant and adorable Skanda, filled with joy, at last slew Taraka,
the chief of the Daityas, endued with great might and prowess, and
surrounded (in that battle) by a 100,000 heroic and mighty Daityas. He
then, in that battle, slew Mahisha who was surrounded by eight padmas of
Daityas. He next slew Tripada who was surrounded by a 1,000 ajutas of
Daityas. The puissant Skanda then slew Hradodara, who was surrounded by
ten nikharvas of Daityas, with all his followers armed with diverse
weapons. Filling the ten points of the compass, the followers of Kumara,
O king, made a loud noise while those Daityas were being slain, and
danced and jumped and laughed in joy.

"Thousands of Daityas, O king, were burnt with the flames that issued from
Skanda's dart, while others breathed their last, terrified by the roars
of Skanda. The three worlds were frightened at the yawns of Skanda's
soldiers. The foes were consumed with flames produced by Skanda. Many
were slain