Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 89
The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra
चक्रतीर्थं सुचजक्राक्षं मकराश्रं गयाशिरः गणं पञ्चशिखं नाम ददौ कनखलः स्वकम्
cakratīrthaṃ sucajakrākṣaṃ makarāśraṃ gayāśiraḥ gaṇaṃ pañcaśikhaṃ nāma dadau kanakhalaḥ svakam
[{"question": "Why does Kumāra call himself a ‘child’ if he is a divine warrior?", "answer": "Purāṇic narrative often emphasizes Kumāra’s youth (kumāratva) as a theological motif: extraordinary power housed in a youthful form. The humility also models proper conduct—seeking sanction before undertaking a world-altering act."}, {"question": "What is the significance of requesting anujñā ‘together with Brahmā’?", "answer": "Brahmā functions as a cosmic authority and witness. By invoking Brahmā’s concurrence, the act of battle is framed as aligned with cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) and not as personal impulse."}, {"question": "Is this verse about speech or about permission?", "answer": "Both. The confession of inadequate speech underscores reverence; the practical request is anujñā. Together they form a conventional devotional posture: humility → request → empowerment."}]
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
It operates as a gazetteer-style register: the text groups multiple tīrthas and attributes their ‘bestowal/establishment’ to a named sacred locality (Kanakhala), thereby authorizing their sanctity and linking them into a pilgrimage circuit.
Here gaṇa most naturally means a ‘cluster/group’ of sites rather than Śiva’s attendants. The phrase reads as a named cluster—‘the gaṇa called Pañcaśikha’—consistent with tīrtha-listing style.
Purāṇic geography often preserves toponyms as meaningful compounds. Such names can encode local myths (e.g., an aquatic ‘makara’ association) or physical features (śiras = summit/headland), serving both mnemonic and sacralizing purposes.