09.045
Library: Names of the illustrious mothers; Army of Skanda; Skanda kills the demon Lord Tāraka; Significance of the holy place named Aujasa.
Vaishampayana spoke:
"Listen, O king, to these groups of mothers and followers of the princes, who are being praised by me, O hero, as the destroyers of the groups of enemies."
O Bharata, listen to the names of the illustrious mothers, by whose auspiciousness the three worlds, both animate and inanimate, are pervaded.
Prabhavati, Vishalakshi, Palita, Gonasi, Shrimati, Bahula, and Bahuputrika are mentioned, each with their unique attributes.
The one born in water, protector of cows, and great mother, also known as victorious, jasmine, constant jewel, and terrifying.
Vasudama, Sudama, Vishoka, and Nandini, as well as Ekachuda, Mahachuda, and Chakranemi, were all present, O Bharata.
The exciting and victorious army, with lotus-eyed beauty, is a conqueror of enemies. It is also indeed angry, like a locust and a donkey.
Madhavi, who is auspicious-faced, along with Tirthanemi and Bharata, is a lover of songs and auspicious. Kadru, who is an insatiable eater, is also mentioned.
O Bharata, these are the descriptions of the divine beings: one who has the sound of clouds, possesses enjoyment, has beautiful eyebrows, is golden, has fiery eyes, possesses strength, and has a lightning tongue.
Padmavati, Sunakshatra, and a vast cave. Santanika and Kauravya, along with Kamala, are all of great strength.
Sudama, Bahudama, Suprabha, Yashasvini, and Nrityapriya, O king, were adorned with a hundred mortar girdles.
The radiant lady with a hundred bells and joys, delight of fortune, beautiful form, moon-cool, and auspicious Kali, O Bharata.
The verse describes various attributes of a woman: she causes confusion, resides in secluded and public places, embodies delusion, is auspicious and prosperous, desires growth, and is beloved of victory.
The bestower of wealth, who is very gracious and the giver of existence, is also the goddess of water. Edi, Bhedi, and Samedi are the mothers of spirits. Additionally, there is itching, Kali, and indeed, Devamitra, the friend of the gods, along with Bharata.
Lambasi, Ketaki, Citrasena, Bala, Kukkutika, Shankhanika, and Jarjarika were present, O king.
Kuṇḍārikā, Kokalikā, Kaṇḍarā, and Śatodarī. Utkrāthinī, Jareṇā, Mahāvegā, and Kaṅkaṇā are mentioned.
The swift one like the mind, thorny and voracious, is also a demoness; a destroyer and devourer, left-handed, lord of cries, with a splendor like lightning.
Mandodari, Tunda, Kotara, Meghavasini, Subhaga, Lambini, Lamba, Vasuchuda, and Vikatthani are mentioned.
She has an upward braid, reddish-brown eyes, an iron girdle, a broad face, and is sweet and honey pot-like.
O king, the winged one, known for churning, with a membrane and a worn-out face, is famous for burning and resounding.
O King, the one with jeweled earrings, nourishing and unfailing, descendant of Kuru, also with long breasts, is broken into pieces.
She bears a flute and lute, has tawny eyes and an iron girdle. Her face resembles that of a hare and an owl, she is dark, has donkey-like thighs, and is very swift.
The creature is described as having the face of a crocodile, being white in color, with red eyes, terrifying in appearance, having matted hair, wandering freely, possessing a long tongue, and being extremely powerful.
Kāleḍikā, Vāmanikā, and the crown indeed, O Bharata. The red-eyed, great-bodied Haripiṇḍī and the king are mentioned here.
O Bhārata, there are those with one syllable, beautifully flowered, black ears, razor ears, four ears, and covered ears.
The one who dwells at crossroads, with ears like a cow and a donkey, a face like a buffalo, and a great sound like a drum.
The conch and pot sounded mightily, breaking and mighty. Troops and good troops, thus fearless, then granting desires.
The one who finds joy in crossroads and sacred places of prosperity, beyond ordinary perception, is a giver of cattle, wealth, happiness, and great fame. Also, a provider of water, cows, and buffaloes, well-equipped with horns, O Bharata.
The established and well-established ones, shining and bright, with cow's ears and good ears, armed with arrows, firm and steadfast; one-wheeled, sounding like clouds, with a garland of clouds, illuminating.
These and many other mothers, O best of the Bharatas, follow Kārtikeya in various forms, numbering in thousands.
O Bharata, they are long-nailed, long-toothed, and long-snouted, simple and sweet, indeed in the prime of their youth and well-adorned.
They are endowed with greatness, capable of assuming any form they desire, having bodies without flesh, appearing white and golden-hued.
O best of Bharatas, there are others who are dark as rain clouds, some are grey, some have a reddish glow, they are fortunate, with long hair, and dressed in white.
The women described here have high braids, tawny eyes, hanging girdles, bellies, ears, and breasts, emphasizing their distinctive and exaggerated features.
They are copper-eyed, copper-colored, and green-eyed, and others like them; they grant boons, move freely, and are always joyful.
O scorcher of foes, there are mighty beings associated with Yama, Rudra, Soma, Kubera, Varuna, Indra, and Agni.
O best of the Bharatas, then the wives of the northwest, Kumara, and Brahma, who are equal in beauty to the Apsaras and in speed to the wind, appeared.
In their nourishment, they are like others; in speech and prosperity, they resemble Kubera; in strength, they are akin to Indra; and in brilliance, they are like fire.
The women who dwell in trees, crossroads, caves, cremation grounds, and mountain springs.
They wore various ornaments, garlands, and clothes, and had colorful attires and spoke different languages.
These and many other fearsome troops, terrifying to the enemy, followed the great soul, in agreement with the lord of the thirty gods.
Then, the divine Indra bestowed the mighty weapon upon Guha, the tiger among kings, to destroy the enemies of the gods.
O best of the Bharatas, there was a flag that was great-sounding with large bells, shining with a white lustre, and colored like the young sun.
The Lord of all creatures, Paśupati, bestowed upon him a formidable army composed of all beings, equipped with diverse weapons and endowed with the strength and power derived from austerity.
Vishnu bestowed the Vaijayanti garland, known for enhancing strength, while Uma presented garments of fine cloth that shone like the sun.
Ganga, with affection, gave the divine water pot, born of nectar and excellent, to the prince, and Brihaspati indeed gave the staff.
Garuda gave his beloved son, the peacock with colorful feathers, and Aruna, who had a copper crest, a weapon for the feet.
Varuna, the mighty king, gave the noose endowed with strength and heroism. Brahma, the lord, also presented the black antelope skin to the pious. The benefactor of the world granted victory in battles.
Skanda, having assumed the leadership of the assembly of gods, shone brightly like a blazing fire. Then he was accompanied by his attendants and the divine mothers.
The terrifying army of the demons, adorned with bells and raised banners, equipped with drums, conches, and murajas, was fully armed and decorated with flags.
The sky shines like it does in autumn, beautifully adorned with lights.
Then, the hosts of ghostly armies from the divine assembly eagerly began to play their drums and conches in abundance.
"Drums, cymbals, saws, horns, kettledrums, trumpets, and drums resounded with great sounds."
All the gods, along with Indra, praised the prince. The divine Gandharvas sang, and the Apsaras danced joyfully.
Pleased with the gods, Mahasena granted them a boon, promising to destroy their enemies in battle who intended to harm them.
The gods, having received the boon from the best of the wise, felt content and believed that their enemies were defeated.
A joyous sound arose from all the assemblies of beings, filling the three worlds as the great soul granted the boon.
Mahasena set out with a mighty army to slay the demons in battle and to protect the celestial beings.
O king, effort, victory, righteousness, success, prosperity, steadfastness, and memory led the armies of Mahasena.
Guha, the god, accompanied by the terrifying goddess holding a trident and mace, and equipped with a club, pestle, iron arrow, spear, and javelin, departed with a roar like a proud lion.
Upon seeing him, all the Daityas, Rakshasas, and Danavas, struck with fear, fled in every direction. The gods, armed with various weapons, attacked them.
Upon seeing this, Skanda, filled with energy and strength, became angry and repeatedly released the terrible weapon of power. He absorbed his own energy like fire consuming an offering.
As Skanda, the one with immeasurable splendor, practiced the powerful weapon, a meteor's flame descended upon the earth, O great king.
O king, causing great noise, thunderbolts fell on the earth, appearing as very terrible as they would be at the time of the end.
A single spear was hurled by the terrifying son of fire, and then, O best of the Bharatas, millions of spears appeared.
In the battle, the divine lord used the weapon Śakti to kill the demon lord named Tāraka, who was of great strength and valor, and was surrounded by tens of thousands of demon warriors, heroes, and strong fighters, O king.
In the battle, he killed the buffalo surrounded by eight lotuses and slayed the three-footed creature surrounded by hundreds of thousands with ten.
The lord, surrounded by millions, along with his followers, killed using various weapons in their hands.
There, the followers of the princes made a loud noise as the enemies were being killed, filling all ten directions, O king.
O King of kings, the weapon of power then emitted flames all around, burning thousands of demons with the sounds of Skanda and others.
Some enemies of the gods were killed by the shaking of the flag; some were terrified by the sound of the bell and fell to the ground; others were cut down by weapons and fell lifeless.
Thus, the mighty hero Kārttikeya defeated numerous powerful enemies of the gods in battle.
Bāṇa, the very powerful demon and son of Bali, reached the Krauncha mountain and disturbed the groups of gods.
Mahasena, known for his noble mind, approached the enemy of the gods. Fearing Kartikeya, he sought refuge in Krauncha.
Then, in his great anger, the divine Kartikeya pierced the Krauncha bird with his spear, which was a gift from Agni, causing it to resound with its cry.
The scene was filled with trees having straight branches, where frightened monkeys and elephants roamed. On the riverbank, birds were startled, and serpents emerged from their hiding.
The forest echoed with the sounds of running monkeys and bears, and was filled with the noise of agitated deer and antelopes moving swiftly.
Even when the mountain was in a pitiful state, it shone brightly as beasts and lions leaped suddenly and swiftly upon it.
The celestial beings residing on the peaks rose up, and the Kinnaras were also disturbed by the sound of the descending force.
Then, from the blazing best of mountains, demons emerged in hundreds and thousands, adorned with various ornaments and garlands.
The prince's followers, having overcome them, killed in battle; the son of Pavaka, a destroyer of enemy heroes, pierced Krauncha with his spear.
The great soul, having manifested himself in many forms and in one, repeatedly sends forth his power in battle, which returns to his hand again and again.
Thus, the divine is powerful, and therefore, like fire, he pierced the Krauncha mountain and killed hundreds of demons.
Then the blessed Lord, having defeated the enemies of the gods, was praised by the gods and attained supreme joy.
Then, O King, the drums and conches resounded, and the divine maidens showered an unparalleled rain of flowers, O descendant of Bharata.
The auspicious wind carried the divine fragrance, and the Gandharvas, along with the sacrificers and great sages, praised him.
Some consider him to be the lord, the son of the grandfather, Sanatkumara, the source of Brahma, and the elder of all.
Some describe him as the son of Maheshvara, others as the son of Agni. He is also said to be born of Uma, the Krittikas, and Ganga.
The great strength of the yogis, the lord god, manifests in one way, two ways, and indeed in four ways, hundreds and then thousands of times.
This narrative of Kartikeya's consecration has been told to you, O king. Now, listen to the sacredness of the lineage of Saraswati's pilgrimage.
O great king, when the enemies of the gods were slain by the prince, it became the best of holy places, like another heavenly abode.
The lord, present there, distributed wealth separately to each of the chief demons across the three worlds, then the son of the fire god acted.
Thus, the blessed one, known as the destroyer of demon clans, was anointed by the gods in that sacred place as the great king and commander of the divine army.
The holy place named Aujasa is where, in ancient times, Varuna, the lord of waters, was anointed by the assembly of gods, O esteemed descendant of Bharata.
In that sacred place, after bathing and worshipping Skanda, Balarama offered gold, clothes, and jewels to the Brahmins.
Madhava, the supreme and joyful plough-wielder, having spent the night there, worshipped the best of pilgrimage sites and touched the water, becoming pleased in mind.
This is all that has been explained to you, as you have asked me, just as the blessed Skanda was anointed by the gods who had assembled.
