Bala Kanda, Sarga 37

Meaning

“At that time, while the divinity, Lord Śiva was busy practising austerities alongwith His Consort, Goddess Umā, the gods alongwith Indra (their ruler) and accompanied by the god of fire as their leader approached Brahmā, the progenitor of the entire creation, seeking to secure a commander for their forces. (1)

Meaning

“Falling prostrate before him, all the gods including Indra and accompanied by the god of fire as their leader thereupon addressed the venerable Brahmā as follows, O Rāma (the delighter of gods) : (2)

Meaning

“ ‘Resorting to supreme asceticism, the almighty Lord Śiva, O glorious one, by whom a commander for our forces was vouchsafed in the form of seed some time back is practising austerities alongwith Goddess Umā, His Consort. (3)

Meaning

“ ‘Pray, accomplish what should be done next in this connection with the intention of doing good to the worlds, O knower of expedients, since you are our supreme resort.’ (4)

Meaning

“Hearing the submission of the gods, Brahmā, the progenitor of the whole universe, addressed the following words to the gods, comforting them with sweet assurances. (5)

Meaning

“ ‘What has been uttered by Goddess Pārvatī, the daughter of Himavān, viz., that you will have no progeny through your wives must be true: there is no doubt about it; for, Her imprecation is unobstructed. (6)

Meaning

“ ‘Here is the heavenly Gaṅgā, through whom the god of fire will, by placing in her the seed of Lord Śiva, cause to be born a son capable of subduing his enemies, who will turn out to be the commander of the celestial armies. (7)

Meaning

“ ‘Gaṅgā, the elder daughter of the king of mountains, will account him as her own son and that belief of hers will be made much of even by Umā, her younger sister: there is no doubt about it.’ (8)

Meaning

“Satisfied to hear the above reply of Brahmā and falling prostrate before him, O scion of Raghu, all the gods venerated him. (9)

Meaning

“Reaching the most excellent Kailāsa, rich in minerals, O Rāma, all the divinities urged the god of fire to produce a son fit to command the celestial armies. (10)

Meaning

“They said to him, ‘Accomplish this object of gods, O exceptionally glorious god of fire ! Place in Gaṅgā, the daughter of Himavān, the seed of Lord Śiva borne by you.’ (11)

Meaning

“Making a promise to the gods to accomplish their aforesaid purpose and, approaching the heavenly Gaṅgā, the god of fire prayed to her as follows : ‘Pray, place in yourself the seed of Lord Śiva, captured and retained by me; for such is the pleasure of gods.’ (12)

Meaning

“Hearing the aforesaid request of the god of fire, the celestial river assumed an ethereal living form. Beholding her exquisiteness of form, the seed of Lord Śiva melted on all sides. (13)

Meaning

“The god of fire then impregnated her on all sides in such a way that all her veins were saturated with the seed, O scion of Raghu ! (14)

Meaning

“Burning with that fiery seed and with her mind extremely agonized, Gaṅgā thereupon spoke as follows to the celebrated god of fire, the leader of all the gods : ‘I am unable, O shining one, to bear the seed of Lord Śiva, intensified by thine own.’ The god of fire, who consumes the offerings intended for all gods, made the following reply to Gaṅgā : (15-16)

Meaning

“ ‘This seed may kindly be discharged on this offshoot of the Himālayas.’ Hearing the aforesaid suggestion of the god of fire, the exceptionally glorious Gaṅgā for her part expelled from her veins that very moment that most resplendent seed, O sinless Rāma ! Since it emerged from the body of Gaṅgā, a grand-daughter of Sumeru, a mountain of gold, it shone accordingly as molten gold of the purest type. (17-18)

Meaning

“Its residue that fell on earth turned into gold and silver of matchless splendour. Due to the very severity of its heat even distant areas were converted into copper and iron. (19)

Meaning

“Its dross turned into tin and lead on the earth. In this way on reaching the earth the seed (of Lord Śiva) grew to be various metals. (20)

Meaning

“The moment the seed was deposited on earth, really speaking the entire thicket of white reeds referred to (in verse 18 of Canto XXXVI) above, alongwith the white mountain was irradiated with its splendour and turned into gold. (21)

Meaning

“From that time onward, O scion of Raghu, gold, which shines like fire, came to be known as Jātarūpa, because it was at that time that its splendid form was brought to light, O tiger among men! and the grass, the creeper plants, the trees and the Gulma—all turned into gold by the contact of that seed. (22)

Meaning

“Thereupon the hosts of gods alongwith Indra, their ruler, brought together the boy thus born as well as the Kṛttikās (the female deities presiding over the group of six stars forming the constellation of that name) in a body for the purpose of suckling the babe. (23)

Meaning

“Having arrived at a sublime understanding that the babe in question would be the son of them all and determined accordingly, they (synchronously) suckled the boy as soon as he was born. (24)

Meaning

“Thereupon all the gods said, ‘The boy will be celebrated in all the three worlds (heaven, earth and the space intervening them) as a son of the Kṛttikās : there is no doubt about it.’ (25)

Meaning

“Hearing the aforesaid utterance of the gods which was so agreeable to them, the Kṛttikās bathed the babe that had first trickled down in the form of seed from the body of Lord Śiva and again on its oozing from the womb of Gaṅgā shone with supreme effulgence like fire. (26)

Meaning

“The gods named the mighty-armed son of the Kṛttikās, who was effulgent as fire, O scion of Kakutstha, as Skanda (from the root ‘Skand’—to flow) because he had slipped from the womb of Gaṅgā. (27)

Meaning

“Then there appeared milk, excelled by no other milk, in the breasts of the Kṛttikās, and growing six-faced, the babe sucked the milk flowing from the breasts of all the six together. Having sucked their milk only for a day the boy, though tender of body, grew so powerful even then that he gradually conquered by sheer dint of his might several divisions of the demon army. Meeting together all the gods, headed by the god of fire, then installed with due ceremony that exceptionally glorious boy as the commander of the celestial forces. (28—30)

Meaning

“In this way has been told by me, O Rāma, a detailed narrative of the Gaṅgā as also the story of the advent of Kumāra (son of Lord Śiva), which confers wealth as well as religious merit (on the hearer as well as on the reader). (31)

Meaning

“Nay, a man on earth who is devoted to Kārtikeya, O scion of Kakutstha, bids fair to attain longevity and an abode in the divine realm of Skanda alongwith his sons and grandsons.” (32)