Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes The story of Skanda鈥檚 birth which is appendix 1 of the English translation of the Skanda Purana, the largest of the eighteen Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient Indian society and Hindu traditions in an encyclopedic format, detailling on topics such as dharma (virtous lifestyle), cosmogony (creation of the universe), mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha) etc.
Appendix 1 - The story of Skanda鈥檚 birth
Note: This appendix is extracted from a note of Chapter 27 (the birth of Kum膩ra K膩rttikeya) of the 碍别诲腻谤补-办丑补峁囜笉补 of the 惭腻丑别艣惫补谤补-办丑补峁囜笉补.
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, 艢补濒测补, 44.6-13 records the following stages of Skanda鈥檚 birth:
- Falling of 艢颈惫补鈥檚 semen in the fire,
- Fire-god鈥檚 pregnancy,
- Fire-god transfers the foetus to 骋补峁単腻 by Niyoga,
- 骋补峁単腻 aborts it in 艢补谤补-grass on the mountain,
- The foetus continues to grow in the grass,
- Six sonless 碍峁泃迟颈办腻蝉 claim him as their son,
- Skanda develops six mouths to suck the milk of the six mothers.
This original outline of the story shows the following developments in the 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, which are not mentioned in the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, 艢补濒测补:
(1) The sexual intercourse between 艢颈惫补 and 笔腻谤惫补迟墨 created Pralaya鈥攄estruction of the world of mobile and immobile beings (vv 31-33).
(2) Gods depute Agni (the Fire-god) to disrupt the intercourse. Agni secretly enters 艢颈惫补鈥檚 harem and loudly demands alms. Infuriated at this interruption, 艢补峁卥补谤补 rushes to kill Agni. 笔腻谤惫补迟墨 intervenes but gives 艢颈惫补鈥檚 semen in the joined palms of Agni and makes him drink it and curses him to be omnivorous (vv 24-43).
(3) Agni became pregnant and all Devas being recipients of food through the medium of Agni (in sacrifices) received 艢颈惫补鈥檚 semen. All gods became pregnant thereby and had unbearable pain (vv 44-46).
(4) Deputation of Devas with 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 to request relief from the torturing pain of pregnancy. 艢颈惫补 relents and asks all Devas except Agni (the main culprit) to vomit the semen. The vomited semen became a mountain of gold (vv 47-64).
(5) Agni requests for relief. 艢颈惫补 advises him to transmit it to women. Next morning at dawn, wives of seven sages performed bath in the river and feeling cold went to warm themselves near the fire though prohibited by 痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓丑补鈥檚 wife 础谤耻苍诲丑补迟墨. Agni transfers 艢颈惫补鈥檚 semen to them (vv 65-74).
(6) Their husbands, finding them pregnant from somebody else, drive them out of their houses. Being homeless on the earth, they become 碍峁泃迟颈办腻蝉 (Pleids) in the sky. But out of shame, they aborted on top of 贬颈尘腻濒补测补 艢颈惫补鈥檚 semen whence it flowed down into 骋补峁単腻 and was surrounded by bamboos. It ultimately developed into a child of six faces on the bank of 骋补峁単腻 (vv 75-80).
The present text of the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 is presumed to belong to the 4th cent. A.D. and the 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 to the 10th cent. Such has been the development of this legend during 600 years or so.