There are stories, particularly in Tamil Nadu (and possibly other places too), involving the battle between Lord Subrahmanya and the Asuras. This incident is described in many Puranas. And all the Puranas I have read say a rakshasa named Tarakasura was killed by The Lord Subrahmanya.
But some variations of the story claim The Lord killed three rakshasas. Their names are Sura(padma), Tarakasura, and Simhavaktra.
Interestingly enough, the famous stotra on Lord Sri Subrahmanya Subrahmanya Bhujangam, which is attributed to Sri Adi Sankara (which I doubt), has a slokha that refers to the three asuras
सहस्राण्डभोक्ता त्वया शूरनामा
हतस्तारकः सिंहवक्त्रश्च दैत्यः ।
ममान्तर्हृदिस्थं मनःक्लेशमेकं
न हंसि प्रभो किं करोमि क्व यामि ॥ २३ ॥
So it appears there was some basis for this story, and I am interested in any facts / references in this regard.
additional notes:
Many works and compositions are attributed to His Holiness Sri Adi Sankaracharya, and this may also be one. Nonetheless I like that stotra very much, and it is beautifully composed with bhakti-rasa (and also for the Sanskrit language). I like hymns on all the deities for the devotional content, but understanding the origin, and the Puranic basis for some of these events is a separate concern of mine. That is the context here.
Some Puranas, such as Sri Skanda Purana, also claim The Lord killed a demon by name Mahishasura (in addition to Tarakasura), who according to the Devi Mahatmyam was killed by Goddess Parvati / Durga - but this is not the subject of this question, though interesting & wanted to mention it.
All that said, my questions are -
- Does any one know the possible source of this story of Lord Subrahmanya killing the three aforementioned rakshasas?
- The second question is, does this occur in the Tamil version of The Skanda Purana? There is a work in Tamil called "Kandha Puranam" (like Kamba Ramayana and VilliputhurAr Bharata) composed by one saint called Kacchiyappa Shivacharyar. Does any one know if this version has this story?
