Shloka 29
सृष्टिविस्तारप्रश्नः (Sṛṣṭi-vistāra-praśnaḥ) — The Detailed Inquiry into Creation
तस्य शाखो विशाखश्च नैगमेयश्च पृष्ठतः । अपत्यं कृत्तिकानां तु कार्तिकेय इति स्मृतः
tasya śākho viśākhaśca naigameyaśca pṛṣṭhataḥ | apatyaṃ kṛttikānāṃ tu kārtikeya iti smṛtaḥ
彼よりシャーカとヴィシャーカが生まれ、さらにその後にナイガメーヤが生まれた。だが、クリッティカーたちの子は、カルッティケーヤの名で記憶される。
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Kārttikeya is identified through his nurturing by the Kṛttikās (Pleiades), a hallmark of the Skanda birth-cycle that legitimizes his divine status and cosmic role as commander of the devas.
Significance: Meditation on Kārttikeya as Kṛttikā-aptya is traditionally linked with gaining valor, clarity, and protection from hostile forces.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse preserves the sacred naming and lineage of Skanda—Kārttikeya—showing how divine births and names reveal specific cosmic roles; remembering these names is treated as smṛti-based devotion that strengthens bhakti toward Shiva’s divine family.
Kārttikeya is presented as a manifest (saguṇa) divine power associated with Shiva’s household; honoring Shiva through the Linga naturally includes reverence to Shiva’s attendant divine beings, with Skanda revered as an extension of Shiva’s protective and victorious energy.
A simple practice is nāma-smaraṇa (repetition) of “Kārttikeya/Skanda” alongside Shiva’s Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), offered with bhakti—optionally with vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as Shaiva markers.