Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.914

c7.914

As they were discussing this problem, Indra and Brahmā arrived there. At their request Śiva agreed to beget a son by Pārvatī. Since it is not desirable that all living beings should perish, Śiva allowed Kāmadeva to be born in the minds of all creatures. Brahmā and Indra returned quite happy. One day, Śiva and Pārvatī began their amorous dalliance. They did not stop it even after a hundred years. The whole world began to shake to its very foundations. Fearing that the world might perish, the devas, as ordered by Brahmā prayed to Agni, to interrupt the amorous play of Śiva and Pārvatī. Agni, who understood that it was not possible to achieve their object, fled and concealed himself under water. The Devas went out in search of Agni. By that time, the creatures in the water who could not bear the heat of Agni, told them the secret. Then Agni deprived them of the power of speech by a curse. After that he went and hid himself on the Mandara mountain. Elephants and parrots disclosed the secrets of Agni, who was hiding within the hollow of the trunk of a tree. Agni deprived them of their tongues by a curse. At last the gods discovered Agni. They sent him at once to Śiva to stop him in his amorous dalliance. Agni succeeded in his mission by his intense heat. Śiva transferred his semen to Agni who became pregnant. Being unable to bear its weight Agni deposited it in the river Gaṅgā, who at the behest of Śiva himself, left it in the woods on the Mahāmeru mountain. Śiva’s attendant bhūtas (spirits) offered Pūjā to it there. After a thousand years a boy with six faces (Subrahmaṇya) was born out of it. He was suckled by the Kṛttikās employed for that purpose by Pārvatī and the boy grew up with astonishing rapidity within a few days. Having been suckled by the Kṛttikās, the boy got the name “Kārttikeya”.