(T) Stories of Skanda
Skanda’s Birth
Shiva’s first wife was Sita, the daughter of Daksha. Once, when Shiva visited his wife’s home, Daksha insulted him before many of his guests. Sati could not bear this. Sitting down, she meditated on the element of fire and, igniting her own body, gave it up. Shiva was furious and he and his followers devastated Daksha’s city, killing many of his priests and ministers.
Shiva was mortified and retired to the Himalayas for a life of austerity and penance. Shortly afterwards a terrible demon called Surapadma began to ravage the universe and torment innocent beings. The gods realized that only a son born from Shiva could defeat the demon. They brought back to life Sati, who was reborn as Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas. But Shiva remained absorbed in deep meditation and could not be agitated by Parvati’s beauty. The demigods then send Kama (or Cupid, the god of love), to shoot at Shiva one of his fabled arrows. Shiva was furious and, opening his third eye, burnt Kama to ashes. Upon hearing the pleas of Rati, Kama’s wife, he brought the deity of love back to life.
By this time, Shiva’s prolonged meditation was well and truly disturbed. Parvati undertook severe penance to win the Lord of her heart, and Brahma eventually married the divine couple. But even after many years, Parvati did not conceive. The fiery semen of Shiva was so potent that Parvati was scared to receive it. This vital energy was deposited with Agni, the fire-god, and later transported by the River Ganga into the Saravama forest. Then six of the wives of the seven great sages accepted Shiva’s semen and brought up six children, which were later joined together to become their common son with six heads (Sanmukha). The husbands of the six mothers cursed their wives for their infidelity and they become stars in the sky, (the Kritikas, in the West called the Pleiades).
Because the Kritikas brought up Sanmukha, he is called Kartikeya. He became the commander-in-chief of the demigods and led them to victory against Surapadma and the other demons.
Skanda and Ganesh Race Each Other
One day both Ganesh and his younger brother Kartikeya (Skanda) were seated with their mother Parvati who was explaining to them about the mystery of the universe, how she was created by God and how under God’s command she acts as universal mother Shakti. She explained to them at great length that the three worlds represented her own body. When she had finished, the two brothers fell into an argument and challenged each other to a race around the entire universe
Kartikeya, who is a proud rider of peacock, was fully convinced that he would beat his brother Ganesh, a rider of the mouse. He said to his brother, “When you return, you will find me seated here, near our mother, after I have completed the ride through the three worlds.” Kartikeya flew off at breakneck speed on his peacock.
Ganesh just smiled. Without stirring, he just remained seated where he was, enjoying his mother’s company. Parvati felt amused and asked him, “Why are you waiting? Aren’t you going to start?” “Yes, mother” Ganesh got up, prostrated himself before his mother Parvati and then circumambulated his mother (did pradakshina) three times and quietly sat down near her.
Kartikeya soon returned panting but jubilant, convinced that he had beaten his brother by a very good margin. But his triumphant smile faded on his lips as he saw Ganesh sitting there so quietly. When Kartikeya asked his brother why he hadn’t started, Ganesh calmly stated that he had finished the race long ago. Kartikeya was incredulous. He said, “impossible! I didn’t see you overtaking me, my peacock has raced so fast, and certainly your mouse cannot reach that speed.”
“You are right, Kumar, Ganesh assented. But don’t you remember what our mother had just told us, that her body represents the three worlds, so while you were riding through them, I went round our mother three times. Kartikeya hung his six heads and accepted defeat