Shloka 33
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
चन्द्रमाने भी कैलास-शिखरके समान श्वेतवर्णवाले तथा श्वेत माला और श्वेत चन्दन धारण करनेवाले दो अनुचर प्रदान किये, जिनके नाम थे मणि और सुमणि ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | candramāne ca kailāsa-śikhara-samānau śveta-varṇau śveta-mālā-śveta-candana-dhāriṇau dvāv anucarau pradadau, yōr nāmnī maṇiḥ su-maṇiś ca || jvālājihvaṃ tathā jyotir ātmajāya hutāśanaḥ | dadāv anucarau śūrāu para-sainya-pramāthinau || rudrair vasubhir ādityair aśvibhyāṃ ca vṛtaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The Moon also bestowed upon him two attendants—white in complexion, adorned with white garlands and white sandal-paste, radiant like the peak of Mount Kailāsa—named Maṇi and Sumaṇi. Likewise, Agni (Hutāśana) gave to his son two heroic attendants, Jvālājihva and Jyoti, mighty warriors who could crush hostile armies. Around that glorious Lord Skanda stood the great gods—Rudras, Vasus, Ādityas, and the two Aśvins—encircling him in reverent attendance, marking his divinely sanctioned authority and martial destiny.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate power is shown as arising from alignment with cosmic order: the gods collectively endorse Skanda by gifting attendants and surrounding him, implying that authority and victory in war are ethically grounded when sanctioned by dharma and upheld by the wider moral-cosmic community.
The Moon and Agni present Skanda with named heroic attendants (Maṇi, Sumaṇi, Jvālājihva, Jyoti). Simultaneously, major divine groups—Rudras, Vasus, Ādityas, and the Aśvins—stand around him, emphasizing his exalted status and readiness to subdue enemy forces.