BIRTH OF KARTHIKEYA

(The story of birth of Karthikeya and the Birth of Ganga or Gangavatharana as narrated by Sri Valmeeki through a conversation between Vishwamira and Srirama. PLEASE SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE)

TAm kathAm KaushikO RAmE nivEdya madhurAkSharAm|

PunarEvAparam vAkyam KAkutsthamidamabraveet||1||

AyOdhyAdhipatihi shUraha pUrvamAseennarAdhipaha|
SagarO nAma dharmAtmA prajAkAmaha sa chAprajAha||2||

VaidarbhaduhitA RAma kEshinee RAma nAmataha|
JyEShThA sagarapatnee sA dharmiShTA satyavAdinee||3||

AriShTanEmErduhitA suparNabhaginee tu sA|
DwiteeyA sagarasyAseetpatnee sumatisanjnitA||4||

TAbhyAm saha mahArAjaha patneebhyAm taptavAmstapaha|
Himavantam samAsAdya BhruguprasravaNE girau||5||

For the question “TeenpaThO hEtunA kEna?” that Rama asked, which meant “Why Ganga flew in three ways?” Vishwamitra explained to Rama how Ganga went to Devaloka. He narrated the details of the birth of Kartikeya as it was related to the same story. Subsequently, he started telling another incident related to the reasons for Ganga to flow down to the Earth and the Patala Loka in very sweet words. 

“Dear son, once a pious, brave and popular king called Sagara was the King of Ayodhya. He did not have children for a very long time. A zest to get children developed in him. Keshini, a virtuous, righteous and truthful daughter of the then king of Vidarbha, was the eldest wife of Sagara. Sumati, who was one of the daughters of Arishtanemi (Kashyapa) and sister of Garuda, the golden eagle, was the second wife of Sagara. Sagara, along with his two wives, began a penance in a sub-mountain called Bhrugupravana, which was adjacent to Mount Himalaya, in the name of Bhrugu Maharshi seeking children. Worshipped for a period of one hundred years through penance, Bhrugu Maharshi, a great person among those known for the virtue of being truthful, got impressed and gave a boon to the king: 

ApatyalABhaha sumahAnBhviShyati tavAnaGha|

Keertim chApratimAm lOkE prApsyasE puruSharShaBha||7||

“Oh great man without any stain of sin, several children, who will earn the praise of universe, will be born to you and from those children, you will earn unmatched fame. One of your two wives will give birth to only one child and the other will beget 60,000 children.” Delighted and pleased with Bhrugu Maharshi for bestowing the boon, the two princesses Keshini and Sumati, honored and worshipped the sage in appropriate manner and told him with folded hands: 

“Oh revered, May your boon become a reality. But, we want to know from you as which one of us will beget one son and who will beget sixty thousand children.”

Hearing their words, most pious Bhrugu Maharshi, replied to them in these interesting and good words: 

“Oh princesses, this subject is entirely left to your desire. You have to decide about your desires.” 

Rama, after hearing the words of Bhrugu Maharshi, Vidarbha princess Keshini expressed her desire in front of Sagara to have only one son. Sister of Garuda, Sumati, heartily welcomed the other option to have enthusiastic and respectable sixty thousand children. Later, Sagara revolved around Bhrugu Maharshi, prostrated before him and saluted the sage and returned to Ayodhya, along with his two wives. With the passage of time, eldest wife Keshini delivered the famous son called “Asamanja”. Sumati, on the other hand, delivered a bottle gourd-like embryo. Sixty thousand children came out after breaking it. Female nurses nurtured those 60,000 children by keeping in separate pots filled with ghee. After they were nurtured for several years, the babies which were in the form atoms, gradually developed and got human form. Later, they became young and efficient children. Did I not tell you earlier that Sagara begot a son called Asamanja from his eldest wife Keshini? Every day, he used to throw children playing on streets into Sarayu River and laughing at those children fluttering in waters, screaming, crying and drowning in the river. It was all a fun for him (Asamanja). Sagara being a pious king, who was always thinking of the welfare of his subject, once extradited Asamanja from the kingdom as he was committing grave crimes every day, was always thinking of torturing the people and was a scourge of virtuous citizens. Asamanja had a son called Amshumanta, who was brave, soft spoken and a beloved of all the people. 

After the passage of several years, Sagara got a desire to perform a sacrifice. Endowed with the knowledge of Vedas, Sagara decided to perform the Yajna and began preparations for it, along with the Rutvijas.