Taraka Fights against Shakra, Vishnu and Virabhadra

Brahma said

Lord of the gods, Guha, son of Shankara and Parvati, it is not right for this futile battle between Vishnu and Tarakasura to go on. Powerful Taraka cannot be killed by Vishnu. I gave him that boon, and I tell you the truth. Parvati's son, apart from you no one can kill that sinner. Great lord, so act on my words. Scorcher of enemies, quickly arm yourself and kill the daitya. Son of Shankara and Shivaa, you were born to kill him. Immensely brave one, the gods are in distress in the battle; save and protect them. Lord, you are not a child, nor yet a youth; what of that? You are lord of everyone. Look at Shakra and Vishnu, shaken, and the gods and ganas too. Kill the great daitya and make the three worlds happy. This one defeated Indra and the guardians of the worlds earlier, and by the strength of his austerities he chastised Vishnu as well. The evil-souled asura has conquered all three worlds, and now they fight again in your presence. So you should kill the evil Taraka. Shankara's son, by my boon he cannot be killed by anyone else.

Hearing me, Kumara, Shankara's son, laughed, pleased, and spoke words of assent. The great lord resolved to kill the asura. He got down from the vimana and went on foot. As he rushed forward on foot Shiva's brave son shone, holding in his hand the very bright spear, which blazed like a great flaming meteor. He had six faces and was immeasurable, extremely fierce and without agitation. Seeing Kumara advance, the daitya spoke to the excellent gods: "So this is the one who will strike the enemy. I will fight this brave one alone, and all the other brave ones with him. I will slay all the ganas, the guardians of the worlds, Hari and the other leaders." With that the immensely strong one went forward to fight Kumara. Taraka seized his wonderful javelin and spoke to the best of the gods.

Taraka said

How is it that you have put Kumara in front of me? Gods, you are shameless, Shakra and the lord especially. To put him in front is against the path the Vedas show. Hear what I say; I will describe it specifically. Vishnu is deceitful and tainted, and above all lacks discrimination. By deceit the sinner earlier bound Bali. Earlier, by crookedness, he cut off the heads of the asuras Madhu and Kaitabha. He strays from the Vedic path. When gods and asuras sat down to share the amrita, he took the form of Mohini and split the rows. He strays from the Vedic path. As Rama he killed a woman. He killed Bali in an untrustworthy way and killed the brahmana Vaishravana. He destroyed the good policy of the shrutis. Though she committed no sin, the sinner abandoned his own wife; for his selfish ends he broke the shruti path there too. In the sixth avatara he cut off his own mother's head. The evil-souled one insulted his guru's son. As Krishna he tainted the family dharma of other men's wives, and his own marriages were arranged against the path of the shrutis. Later, in his ninth incarnation, he criticised the Vedic path and set up the nastika view, contrary to the Vedic path. These are the sins he has committed, straying from the Vedic path. Having been an avatara of adharma, how can he win this battle? His elder brother Shakra is held to be a greater sinner still. For his own reasons he has committed many sins, in particular, for selfish motives he cut up Diti's foetus. He violated Goutama's wife. He killed Vritra, a brahmana's son. He cut off the head of the brahmana Vishvarupa, his guru's nephew. So he destroyed the norms of the shrutis. Hari and Shakra have committed many sins again and again; their energy and above all their valour have been destroyed. On their strength you cannot win the battle. Why have you come foolishly here, ready to give up your lives? These two do not know dharma. They have lustful minds and chase their selfish ends. Immortals, without dharma everything attempted fails. These two shameless ones have now put a child in front of me. If I kill the child they will succeed. Let the child go far away and save his life.

Brahma said

Having said this to Hari, he spoke to Virabhadra: "Earlier, at Daksha's sacrifice, you killed many brahmanas. Blameless one, today I will show you the fruits of those deeds." Having said this, by that act of censure he destroyed all his own merit.

Taraka, supreme among fighters, seized his wonderful javelin and advanced toward the child. Putting himself ahead of Guha, Shakra struck Tarakasura powerfully with his vajra. The blow made Taraka, who had already drained his strength by censuring, suffer. He fell violently to the ground, unconscious, but though fallen he rose in a short while. Enraged, he hurled a javelin at Purandara, who was on the elephant, and brought him down to the ground. When Purandara fell, great cries of lament arose, and dejection entered the immortals' soldiers. Hear from me of Taraka's miserable deeds, against dharma and bringing his own destruction. When Shakra fell, he kicked him, seized the vajra from his hand and struck him with it hard. Seeing Shakra abused so, powerful Bhagavan Vishnu raised his chakra and struck Taraka with it. Struck by the chakra he fell to the ground, but the Indra among daityas rose again and struck Vishnu with a javelin. Struck by it, Achyuta fell to the ground. Shrieks of lament came from the immortals, but in a short time Vishnu stood up again. At that very moment Virabhadra presented himself before the asura, raised a trident, and strong and intolerant, struck Taraka, lord of Diti's sons, with it. Struck by the trident, he fell, but immensely energetic Taraka stood up again. The immensely valiant leader of all the asuras, full of rage, struck Virabhadra on the chest with an excellent javelin. At once Virabhadra lost his senses and fell, struck on the chest by the excellent javelin hurled in wrath. The ganas, gods, gandharvas, uragas and rakshasas screamed again and again in lament. But in a short while immensely energetic Virabhadra, slayer of enemies, got up. He raised a trident that blazed like lightning, radiant in its flaring brilliance. Its rays lit the directions and it had a halo like the sun, moon and fire together, terrifying to the brave, blazing like the great destroyer called Kala. Immensely strong Virabhadra raised the trident wishing to kill the asura, but Kumara held him back.