Vamana Purana — Birth of Skanda (Kartikeya), Shloka 50

The Birth and Consecration of Skanda (Kartikeya) at Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

कौतुकाभिवृताः सर्वे एवमूचुः सुरोत्तमाः देवकार्यं त्वया देव कृतं देव्याग्निना तथा

Transliteration

kautukābhivṛtāḥ sarve evamūcuḥ surottamāḥ devakāryaṃ tvayā deva kṛtaṃ devyāgninā tathā

Translation

{"scene_description": "Aṃśumān ceremonially assigns five fierce pramathas to Ṣaṇmukha (Guha/Skanda), each attendant bearing a distinct weapon or emblem matching their name.", "primary_figures": ["Aṃśumān", "Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda/Guha)", "Pramathas: Parigha", "Pramathas: Caṭaka", "Pramathas: Bhīma", "Pramathas: Dahati", "Pramathas: Dahana"], "setting": "Mythic assembly court with celestial banners and gaṇa ranks.", "color_palette": ["vermilion", "smoky black", "gold", "ash white", "deep green"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style, gold leaf halos, Ṣaṇmukha seated with spear (vel), Aṃśumān offering five pramathas as attendants, ornate temple arch, rich reds and greens, high-detail jewelry, devotional iconography.", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastel sky, delicate linework, Skanda youthful with vel, Aṃśumān presenting five attendants with symbolic weapons, gentle hills and stylized clouds, narrative caption feel.", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold outlines, flat natural pigments, Skanda with six faces implied by iconography, Aṃśumān at side, five gaṇas in dynamic poses, temple-wall composition, rhythmic symmetry.", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra scroll style, strong black borders, patterned textiles, Skanda central with vel, Aṃśumān gifting five named pramathas in a row, decorative floral fillers, folk narrative sequencing."}

Speakers

• Surottamāḥ (the foremost gods) addressing Ṣaṇmukha

Primary Deities

• Skanda (Ṣaṇmukha)
• Devī
• Agni
• Devatās

Key Themes

• Divine cooperation (deva-saṃghāta)
• Wonder (kautuka)
• Completion of cosmic mission
• Śakti (Devī) and Fire (Agni) as enabling powers

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘Devī’ here, and why is she mentioned alongside Agni?

In Skanda’s mythic complex, the Goddess signifies empowering śakti (often identified broadly with Pārvatī/Durgā or the divine feminine force), while Agni functions as a key divine mediator (fire as carrier of power/seed and as sacrificial potency). The verse credits a triad of agency: the hero-deity, śakti, and fire.

What is meant by ‘deva-kārya’ in Purāṇic narrative idiom?

It denotes a divinely mandated objective—typically restoring cosmic order by overcoming an asuric threat or completing a protective rite—framed as the collective need of the gods.

Is this a stuti (praise) or a report?

It functions as brief stuti-like acknowledgment: the gods publicly affirm the success of the mission and the divine forces involved.