Shloka 21
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
अभ्यषिज्चन् कुमार वै सम्प्रहृषषशट दिवौकस: । सेनापतिं महात्मानमसुराणां भयंकरम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | abhyasiñcan kumāraṃ vai samprahṛṣṭā divaukasaḥ | senāpatiṃ mahātmānam asurāṇāṃ bhayaṅkaram | rudrair vasubhir ādityair aśvibhyāṃ ca vṛtaḥ prabhuḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: The gods, filled with joy, performed the sacred consecration of the divine Youth—Kumāra Kārttikeya—installing that great-souled lord as commander of the celestial hosts, a terror to the Asuras. Surrounded by the Rudras, the Vasus, the Ādityas, and the twin Aśvins, he stood in radiant majesty as the devas anointed him to lead the cosmic struggle against demonic powers.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate authority is established through dharmic consecration and collective divine sanction: leadership is not mere power, but a responsibility ritually affirmed for the protection of cosmic order against destructive forces.
The gods joyfully anoint Kumāra Kārttikeya and install him as senāpati (commander-in-chief). He is depicted as surrounded by major divine groups—Rudras, Vasus, Ādityas, and the Aśvins—signaling universal celestial support and his role as a formidable opponent of the Asuras.