Individual verses with meanings
Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirty seventh sarga of the bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
This sarga is a sequel of the previous one which talks about the circumstances under which Lord Siva withdraws ftom marital communion and proceeds for penance. Lord kArtikEya’s birth was hinted at. This sarga has details of how the army general of the gods kArtikEya was born. read on…
In the bygone days, the dEvas approached lord brahma and stressed the need for them to have an able general who can lead their army. They prostrated and said “The One general that You had given to us (lord Siva) is engaged in intense tapas along with dEvi uma. On account of her curse, we cannot have children and hence there is no way to create a general. Hence O supreme well wisher of ours and our refuge, please show us a way out”.
The grandsire lord brahma smiled and acknowledged both the need of a general as well as the unfailing words of uma. He further said,” the heavenly river ganga will beget a son for agni, the fire god, who can be the army general of the gods and will annihilate enemies. Since, ganga is the elder daughter of himavAn, her tending the son would be acceptable to uma, I’ve no doubt”. So saying lord brahma assured the gods and they returned offering their salutations and feeling that their mission was successful.
The gods then went to mount kailAsa and prayed to agni, the fire god to discharge the vital energy of Siva which he retained in him unto ganga and allow her to bear the offspring. Upon the affirmative response of agni, dEvas approached goddess ganga and prayed to her to behold the vital energy of Siva passed through agni in her womb. She agreed and assumed a divine form. Beholding her glorious form, the fire god surrounded her from all sides and filled her streams with the vital energy of lord Siva. ganga was both overwhelmed and distressed!! She prayed to agni that it was impossible to withstand his ever increasing brilliance. The brilliant fire god, receiver of the oblations of all dEvas suggested that she liberate the divine embryo at the slopes of mount himavAn.
Acting on the suggestion of agni, ganga discharged the divine and effulgent embryo at the mountain. That divine embryo akin to molten gold, auspicious, bright and pure reached the earth. The discharges from the embryo developed in to various minerals such as zinc, iron, copper, lead etc on the earth. The lustrous brilliance of the embryo, by being placed on the slopes, rendered the mountains and forests, trees, shrubs, plants, creepers, grass into a golden hue. Gold came to be known as born of fire ever since.
ताम्रं कार्ष्णायसं चैव तैक्ष्ण्यादेवाभ्यजायत।।1.37.19।।
मलं तस्याभवत्तत्र त्रपु सीसकमेव च।
तदेतद्धरणीं प्राप्य नानाधातुरवर्धत।।1.37.20।।
निक्षिप्तमात्रे गर्भे तु तेजोभिरभिरञ्जितम्।
सर्वं पर्वतसन्नद्धं सौवर्णमभवद्वनम्।।1.37.21।।
जातरूपमिति ख्यातं तदा प्रभृति राघव।
सुवर्णं पुरुषव्याघ्र हुताशनसमप्रभम्।।1.37.22।।
As the baby boy was born out of that embryo, gods arranged for six maidens known as kRttikas to nurture the baby. They had an understanding with the gods that by feeding the baby they would call him their own son, to which the gods agreed and said, “this son of yours will be famous in the there worlds and after you shall be known as kArtikEya”.
The maidens, started to serve the resplendent and shining boy by bathing him. Since he emerged out of a discharged embryo (skanna) he came to be known as skanda. Nourishing milk welled up in the breasts of those six maidens which the little boy sucked assuming six faces. Even with that tender body, partaking milk for a day, the boy had such strength and prowess to vanquish a whole host of demons. He was that able!
With such prowess, the unrivalled and effulgent kArtikEya was designated as the army general of the dEvas.
O rAma, “this in detail is the auspicious story of ganga and the birth of kArtikEya. Whoever devotedly worships kArtikEya in this world, lives a long life with progeny and ultimately reaches the abode of skanda”.
Here we conclude the thirtyseventh sarga of the bAlakAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Next: bAla kANDam, 38th sarga
Previous: bAla kANDam, 36th sarga
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
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