How Tarakasura was Defeated
Devrishi Narada, who could go anywhere, went to Taraka and said, 'O best among asuras, this son of Shiva has been born to kill you. After knowing this, try to save yourself.' Taraka replied, 'O great sage, Indra wishes to fight with me, keeping an infant at the head of the army. This is a foolish step and I shall kill him. Tell him so.' With preliminary talks concluded, the two armies began to fight fiercely against one another. The brave King Muchkunda of the Solar dynasty, who had attained heaven, first came to confront Taraka. Taraka struck Muchkunda with a javelin, and he fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, Muchkunda prepared a Brahmastra, a divine weapon. Narada stopped him, saying, 'Taraka cannot be killed by a human. Do not use this divine weapon.'
Just then, war drums were sounded, and Skanda advanced at the head of the ganas (Shiva's followers). Taraka assumed a form with ten thousand arms. He mounted a lion and began killing the ganas. On seeing this, Vishnu said, 'O Son of Shiva, you are born to kill Taraka. You must do it quickly.' Skanda replied, 'I am carefully observing the wonderful ways of fighting of noble warriors. I do not know who belongs to our army and who is an enemy. I do not even know why they are fighting and killing each other.' Narada then narrated the story of Taraka and how he had obtained a boon and defeated the devas. Upon hearing this, Skanda dismounted from his aerial chariot and started walking on foot. When Taraka saw him, he picked up a javelin and said, 'How and why has an infant been placed by the devas in front of me? They are all shameless and their king is Indra.' Skanda too picked up a javelin and began to fight furiously with Taraka. Skanda struck Taraka on the chest with his javelin. Taraka, in turn, hit Skanda and rendered him unconscious. After some time, Skanda regained consciousness and continued the fight. Thereafter, he severed Taraka's head with his javelin and rescued the devas.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Volkswagen stung by tariffs, but trade deal based on US investments may be coming
German auto giant Volkswagen (VWAGY) is feeling the effects of President Trump's tariff policy. An EU-US trade deal can't come soon enough for the Wolfsburg-based automaker. Volkswagen reported that its first-half revenue for 2025 came in at 158.4 billion euros ($185.7 billion), essentially in line with last year's figures, but operating result (or operating profit) slid by a third to 6.7 billion euros ($7.86 billion), with tariffs the culprit. "Decline in Operating Result primarily due to high costs from increased U.S. import tariffs," VW said, noting a figure of 1.3 billion euros ($1.52 billion), with other expenses like restructuring tacking on another 700 million euros ($820.3 million) in profit hits. "Our half-year figures present a contrasting picture: on the one hand, we achieved strong product success and made progress in realigning the company," Volkswagen CFO Arno Antlitz said in a statement. "On the other, the operating result declined by a third year-on-year — also due to higher sales of lower-margin all-electric models. In addition, increased US import tariffs and restructuring measures had a negative impact." Though the news was not exactly good, it was likely better than what investors expected, with VW stock pulling higher in Friday trade. Nevertheless, the results of the first half mean VW slashed its full-year revenue estimate to be in line with last year, from a 5% gain it previously forecast, with the firm's operating return on sales (or operating margin) now seen in the 4% to 5% range from a prior 5.5% to 6.5%. Full-year automotive net cash flow gets chopped nearly in half to 1 billion to 3 billion euros ($1.17 billion to $3.52 billion) from 2 billion to 5 billion euros ($2.34 billion to $5.86 billion). Read more: How to find the best luxury car insurance Regarding that guidance, VW said the upper end assumes tariffs will be reduced to 10%, whereas the lower end assumes a 27.5% tariff applies through the second half of the year. "There is high uncertainty about further developments with regard to the tariffs, their impact and any reciprocal effects," the company said. Reports suggest EU and US negotiators are aiming at a 15% tariff for EU goods coming into the US that would also apply to autos. Currently, the US imposes 25% auto sector tariffs on foreign-made vehicles. "We hope that it will come to a well-balanced deal between the US and the EU, which allows fair trade between the regions," VW CEO Oliver Blume told investors, per Reuters. Blume also suggested VW may have its own deal with the US government, contingent upon investment in the US. "We have a very attractive investment package we will do there," Blume said, adding that the company has been in "good discussions" with White House negotiators. Blume indicated investments would come in the form of a "scalable program," without adding more details, though he mentioned the possibility of opening an Audi plant in the US. Currently, Audi builds vehicles for the US market in Europe and Mexico. Pras Subramanian is the lead auto reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Britain and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Britain and Australia announced they will sign a cooperation treaty to build Australian nuclear-powered submarines and welcomed a review by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration of the United States' role in the trilateral defense deal. Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Friday with their Australian counterparts Richard Marles and Penny Wong in Sydney for an annual bilateral meeting. Marles said he and Healey will sign a 50-year treaty Saturday that will underpin bilateral cooperation on building an Australian fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology. 'It is as significant a treaty as has been signed between our two countries since federation,' Marles said, referring to the unification of several British colonies to form the Australian government in 1901. The three-way alliance was announced in 2021 to contend with growing Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific region. It would deliver Australia at least eight submarines including three to five second-hand U.S. Virginia-class submarines. Britain and Australia would cooperate to build their own SSN-AUKUS submarines. US reviewing AUKUS trilateral submarine deal U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reviewing the pact, known by the acronym AUKUS, that was entered into by U.S. President Joe Biden's administration. There are concerns that the U.S. won't provide Australia with its first Virginia-class submarine by the early 2030s as planned because U.S. submarine-building was behind schedule. Marles and Healey declined to speculate on whether Britain and Australia would continue with jointly building submarines if the U.S. pulled out when questioned at a press conference. 'Australia and the U.K. welcome the review because we see this as a chance for a new administration to renew their commitment to AUKUS. And that's what we expect,' Healey said. 'Any sort of hypotheticals that you suggest simply aren't part of the picture,' Healey added, referring to the prospect of Britain and Australia proceeding without the U.S. The Australian government confirmed this week it had paid the U.S. a second $500 million installment on the AUKUS deal. The first $500 million was paid in February. The submarines are expected cost Australia up to $245 billion. The meeting comes as 3,000 British military personnel take part in the largest military exercise ever conducted in Australia. British aircraft carrier joins Australian war games More than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, which began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia. Marles and Healey will inspect the British aircraft HMS Prince of Wales at the northern port of Darwin on Sunday. The carrier is in Australia to take part in the war games. Lammy said the carrier's arrival in Darwin was meant to send a clear signal to the world. 'With our carrier strike group docking in Darwin, I think we're sending a clear signal, a signal of the U.K.'s commitment to this region of the world. Our determination to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open, and that we stand together,' he said. Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Christian Horner's replacement tasked with ‘reducing outside noise' at Red Bull
Christian Horner's replacement Laurent Mekies said he has been tasked with 'reducing the outside noise' at Red Bull after revealing he has received several messages of support from his sacked predecessor. Mekies – speaking for the first time since he was dramatically elevated into the Red Bull hotseat ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix – praised Horner for being 'nothing else than supportive' since he took over as Red Bull CEO and team principal 16 days ago. The 51-year-old Horner was released from his post after the British Grand Prix, with Sunday's race at Spa-Francorchamps marking the first in Red Bull's two-decade history in Formula One without him at the helm. Horner oversaw 14 world championships, but the last 18 months of his reign were overshadowed by allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour' from a female colleague – Horner always denied the claims and was twice exonerated – the subsequent departure of a number of his key allies and doubts about star driver Max Verstappen's future. 'You don't see weaknesses, but a lot of good ideas to get that Red Bull energy back, and perhaps to reduce that noise from outside, and just concentrate on racing, and that is what we are going to try and do together,' said Mekies. 'I have spoken (with Horner) and he has been nothing but supportive, even in the extremely difficult context for him. 'He was the first one to text, the first one to call, and even yesterday, or this morning, we texted each other again. Nobody is going to replace his character or be a like-for-like replacement. 'They (Red Bull) have been showing season after season that they are the best in the world, and if they are not (the best) they are very close. 'I don't think anyone doubts what Red Bull is here to do in terms of an objective in the short-term, mid-term or long-term, which is to fight for wins and world championships so in terms of a mission statement that is what I am here to do.' Mekies' promotion from Red Bull's junior team, RB, coincided with Horner's exit. The F1 team's parent company, Red Bull GmbH said Horner had been 'released from his operational duties' but did not specify a reason. Asked if he had been told the rationale behind Horner's ousting, Mekies, 48, replied: 'The short answer is no. We didn't get into the whys and the why nows but they outlined the objectives for the team moving forward. 'I got a call from (Red Bull Managing Director) Oliver (Mintzlaff) and (Red Bull Motorsport Adviser) Helmut (Marko) and they asked if I would be interested in the job. Obviously it came out of the blue. I asked them if I could think about it for a few hours and I hung up the phone. 'It is difficult to digest but the first thing that comes into your mind is, 'well, wait a second, this is Red Bull, and they are asking you to step into that job'. So you pick up the phone, and you say, 'of course, it will be an honour and a privilege'. 'Christian was extremely supportive of me over the past two years so there are mixed emotions, but the dominant one is that Red Bull have called me and if you think you need me here I will be there.'