Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 38

The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

संप्राप्तास्ते शरवणं हराग्निकुटिलाम्बिकाः ददृशुः शिशुकं तं च कृत्तिकोत्सङ्गशायिनम्

Transliteration

saṃprāptāste śaravaṇaṃ harāgnikuṭilāmbikāḥ dadṛśuḥ śiśukaṃ taṃ ca kṛttikotsaṅgaśāyinam

Translation

তাঁরা—হর, অগ্নি, কুটিলা ও অম্বিকা—শরবণে পৌঁছে, কৃত্তিকাদের কোলে শায়িত সেই শিশুটিকে দেখলেন।

Speakers

• Narrator describing the divine party’s arrival and sight.

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Hara)
• Agni
• Ambikā/Umā (Pārvatī)
• Kuṭilā
• Kṛttikās (Pleiades)
• Skanda/Kārttikeya (as infant)

Key Themes

• Sacred landscape as mythic stage
• Divine maternity (Kṛttikās as nurses)
• Skanda’s epiphany
• Śaiva family narrative with Vedic deity Agni

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shringara", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is ‘Śaravaṇa’ and why is it important?

Śaravaṇa literally denotes a reed-thicket/forest. In Skanda traditions it becomes a sacral geography marker: the liminal, watery-vegetal landscape where the divine child is revealed and cared for, anchoring the myth to a recognizable ‘tīrtha-like’ terrain.

Who are the Kṛttikās in Purāṇic myth?

The Kṛttikās are the star-deities of the Pleiades, frequently cast as foster-mothers of Skanda. Their ‘lap’ symbolizes celestial nurture and legitimizes Skanda’s epithet Kārttikeya (“son of the Kṛttikās”).

Why are both Śiva (Hara) and Agni present at the sighting of the child?

Skanda’s birth-cycle often involves transmission of Śiva’s energy through Agni, culminating in the child’s manifestation in a liminal natural setting. Their joint presence emphasizes continuity between Śiva’s power, Agni’s mediating role, and the child’s divine identity.