SriRamayana on Telebridge #32

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Bakalanda37

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha!

 

Vishvamitra said to Rama, "I told you the story of Kartikeya. I will now tell

you how Ganga comes in this story. After Paramasiva released his retas and went

into meditation, a Rakshasa called 'Tarakasura' was tormenting Devathas who

needed an able army chief to fight with Tarakasura. All Devathas along with

Indra and Agni went to Chaturmulkha Brahma and said to him 'We are in need of a

commander-in-chief. Now that Siva is in meditation with Parvati, we can't

approach him. Please advise us.'

 

Chaturmulkha Brahma said to Devathas in gentle words - 'Don't worry. Since None

of you can have a child who is capable of being an army chief due to Parvathi’s

curse, go pray to Akasa Ganga and request her to bear the potency of Paramasiva

and bring forth the child. Agni can transfer the seed to Ganga and make her bear

the child. Parvati will also accept this because Ganga is her own sister. When

Agni took Rudra's seed, part of it was burnt and became Kailasam. The remaining

part can be transferred by Agni to Ganga.' Devathas were thus consoled and went

to Kailasam where they met Agni and said to him, 'Oh radiant one! Please unite

the power of Rudra with Ganga." And Agni agreed to it. They went to Ganga and

requested her to bear the seeds preserved by Agni to help the world who then

took the form of a beautiful lady. Agni released Rudra's seeds into Ganga and

whole form became filled with it. Ganga then said to Agni, 'Oh fire god! I

cannot bear this power; this is getting very intense and is disturbing my

life-force.

 

Then Agni said to Ganga, 'O Ganga, the white mountain you see near the Himalaya

mountains is Rudra Tejam that was burnt when I took it onto myself. There is a

forest of reeds called 'Saravanam' near that Kailash mountain. You may leave the

Tejam (potency) that's inside you there.' Ganga agreed and released the embryo

through her flows in the region of Kailasam. The embryo released by her shone

like molten gold. Gold, silver, copper and lead emerged from that radiant

embryo. The impurities in it have taken the form of iron, tin and lead. The

embryo thus involved into different metals and elements on reaching earth. The

trees, plants and bushes around Kailash mountain started shining like gold. Gold

was there on earth before this event but was never this brilliant. Since gold

got its fire-like shine from this embryo, it is called 'jata rupam'.

 

The embryo released by Ganga then took the form of a boy. Devathas requested

Krithikas (the stars) to take care of the boy. Krithikas agreed to feed the boy

under the condition that the baby be called their son in the world. Devathas

agreed to it. Thus the boy was known as 'Kartikeya' in the world. Devathas

blessed the boy to become famous in all three worlds. krithikas then gave the

boy a bath and the baby shone radiantly like fire. He got the name 'Skanda'

because he was born from the aborted embryo. This boy became the army chief of

Devathas and defeated all the Rakshasas at a very tender age. Oh Rama, so far, I

told you the story of the river Ganga, and the story of kumara sambhavam (the

birth of Kartikeya). This story is divine and pious.

 

 

-to be continued-

Jai Srimannarayana

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