demon Tarakasura

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Tarakasura is a powerful demon king in Hindu mythology, best known for being slain by the god Kartikeya (Skanda) after receiving a boon that made him nearly invincible.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Tarakasura 0

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf asura
demon king
mythological character
alignmentInMyth evil
alsoSpelledAs Tārakāsura NERFINISHED
appearsIn Puranic literature NERFINISHED
Skanda-related legends
associatedWith legend of Kartikeya’s birth
boonDescription could be killed only by a son of Shiva
boonEffect near invincibility against gods
causeOf suffering of devas
usurpation of heaven
culture Indian
deathResultedIn affirmation of Shiva’s power through his son
restoration of devas’ rule
defeated devas
defeatedBy Shakti of Shiva and Parvati embodied in Kartikeya NERFINISHED
demanded worship from gods
enemyOf Indra NERFINISHED
gods
etymology name derived from Sanskrit root “tāraka”
eventuallyDefeatedAt battle with Kartikeya
gainedPowerThrough tapas (penance)
genre religious epic narrative
hasBoonFrom Brahma NERFINISHED
killedBy Kartikeya NERFINISHED
Murugan NERFINISHED
Skanda NERFINISHED
Subrahmanya NERFINISHED
knownFor severe austerities to please Brahma
languageOfName Sanskrit NERFINISHED
mythology Hindu mythology
notableFor being slain by Kartikeya
opponentOf devas
opposedBy Parvati NERFINISHED
Shiva NERFINISHED
overthrew Indra from heaven
persecuted rishis
reasonForKartikeyaBirth boon that only Shiva’s son could kill him
religion Hinduism
roleInMyth antagonist in the story of Kartikeya
ruled three worlds
symbolizes arrogance born of boons
misuse of power
threatened cosmic order (dharma)
weaponUsedAgainst Kartikeya’s spear

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Skanda Purana describes demon Tarakasura