Shikhandi: And Other Tales They Don't Tell You by Devdutt Pattanaik

Author:Devdutt Pattanaik
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Religion, Gender Studies, Ancient, Social Science
ISBN: 9789351187370
Publisher: Penguin Books Limited
Published: 2014-07-19T16:00:00+00:00

13

Skanda, whose mothers were not all women

From the Mahabharata and several Puranas

An asura named Taraka had obtained a boon that only a six-day-old boy could kill him. The boon made him near immortal. He attacked and defeated the devas and drove them out of their celestial city, Amravati.

The devas wondered where they could get a child who could fight a battle on the seventh day of this life. ‘Only Shiva can father such a child. His semen retained for eons and resplendent with the powers of his austerities can bring forth such a warrior.’ So they begged the mother-goddess to transform into Parvati, the mountain-princess, enchant Shiva out of his cave, marry him and draw out his seed through lovemaking.

After great difficulty Parvati managed to become the hermit-god’s bride. As householder, Shiva made love to Parvati. Though they were united for hundreds of years, Shiva never shed his seed. Alarmed, the devas sought the help of the fire-god Agni who went into Shiva’s cave and interrupted his lovemaking in the form of a bird. Embarrassed by the intrusion, Parvati turned away from Shiva. At that moment, Shiva let loose a jet of semen that Agni, the god of fire, caught in his mouth. It was so hot that Vayu, the god of wind, was called to hold it.

When Parvati saw this she was furious. ‘Only I have the right to nurture this seed. The devas have deprived me of my child. So, let them never father children. Instead, let them know what it means to be pregnant.’ Shiva’s seed consequently seeped into the bodies of all the devas and they became pregnant. The pain was unbearable so they begged for mercy. After much placation, Shiva’s seed left the body of the devas and re-entered Agni.

At that moment, six of the seven wives of the seven cosmic seers were seated next to the holy fire to ward off the cold. Through the fire-god’s heat and light, the seed of Shiva seeped into the bodies of these six women. When the seers discovered that their wives were pregnant, they accused the women of adultery and drove them away. In anger, the women cast the foetuses out of their bodies and into the Ganges.

Such was the fury of the cast away foetuses that the river water started to boil and the forest of reeds on its banks caught fire. Within the smoldering ash, the foetuses merged and transformed into a six-headed twelve-armed child.

At first the six abandoned wives of the seers - known as Krittikas - tried to kill the child but when they saw him their breasts oozed milk. They ended up nursing him instead.

Parvati, Agni, Vayu, the Krittikas, Ganga and even Saravani, the goddess of the river reeds, fought for the custody of the child. Shiva said he belonged to all since all had helped in creating him. This mighty son of Shiva entered the battle when he was barely six days old. He challenged Taraka and killed him with a lance.

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