Skanda

Quick Facts

About Skanda

The child of Agni and Swaha, born on the White Mountain with six faces and twelve arms after the seed was cast six times into a golden lake, from which casting off he takes his name. Indra rode out to kill him before he could be a rival, and when the thunderbolt tore his right side a second youth, Visakha, stepped out of the wound; the gods then made him their commander instead. On the Sarasvati at Samantapanchaka he was anointed generalissimo, divided himself into four to greet Shiva, Uma, Ganga and Agni at once, and afterwards killed the asura Taraka.

In Their Words

Strike me again, king of the gods, and see what else comes out of me.

Skanda

Traits

• Newborn
• Terrible
• Undefeated
• Generous

Story Appearances

• The Birth of the War-GodBorn six-faced from the golden lake❧ 10 min
• The Thunderbolt and the Seizers of ChildrenSurvives Indra's bolt and takes his command❧ 21 min
• The Anointing of the War GodAnointed general of the celestial host❧ 21 min

Stories Featuring Skanda

22 further tales on this site name Skanda, in canonical reading order.

• Kunti Knows Her SonThe mother who recognised Karna in the arena and stayed silentAdi Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Lineages of Gods and DemonsVaishampayana recites the descent of every creature from Brahma and the daughters of DakshaAdi Parva ‧ 22 min
• Devasena and the Husband Not Yet BornA rescue on the Manasa hills and a promise the gods had to invent someone to keepVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• Swaha and the Six DisguisesThe wives who were punished for a child that was never theirsVana Parva ‧ 20 min
• Sakamvari and the Ford of GoldThe goddess who fed the sages on herbs, and the tirtha where Vishnu knelt to RudraVana Parva ‧ 21 min
• How the Krittikas Took Abhijit's PlaceA star leaves the sky in envy of her elder sister, and the six Krittikas are raised into the empty stationVana Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Hymn Before the ConchesKrishna sends Arjuna down from the chariot to praise the goddessBhishma Parva ‧ 18 min
• The King They Thought Was DeadBhima's mace crushes Duryodhana's chariot, and both armies believe the Kuru king killedDrona Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Consecration of DronaKarna names the Preceptor commander, and Drona names the man he cannot killDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Fourth CommanderA nephew's water poured on an uncle's head at the foot of HimavatShalya Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Head That Followed IndraA treaty kept to the letter and broken in every other wayShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Lords of the Waters and the TreasuresBalarama walks the Sarasvati past the fords where Varuna, Kubera, Indra and Surya won what they holdShalya Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Being at the GateAshvatthama offers himself to MahadevaSauptika Parva ‧ 16 min
• What Gandhari SawThe blind queen, given sight for one afternoon, walks Kurukshetra naming the dead of both armiesStri Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Day the Rod VanishedWhat happened to the world when Chastisement disappearedShanti Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Savitri Mantra of SalutationsBhishma gives Yudhishthira the roll of names to be said at dawnAnushasana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Names That Cleanse SinAsked what destroys sin, Bhishma answers with a litany of gods, rivers, mountains, sages and kingsAnushasana Parva ‧ 15 min
• Upamanyu's PenanceThe boy who refused every god but Shiva, and the god who came disguised as Indra to hear him do itAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• Tandi and the Ten Thousand YearsA rishi meditates for a hundred centuries, sees Mahadeva, and hymns him as the end of all five roadsAnushasana Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Brahmanas Who Deserve WorshipNarada tells Krishna whom he bows to, and Bhishma tells a king what it costs to forgetAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Mysteries of Religion, Part TwoLomasa, Arundhati, the night-wanderers and the elephants of the quarters give up the last of their secretsAnushasana Parva ‧ 18 min
• Why Gold Is the Highest GiftThe metal born with the war godAnushasana Parva

Character Arc

1. 1The Casting OffGrows to a child in four days beside the mountain lake
2. 2The BoltIndra's weapon splits his side and Visakha steps out of it
3. 3The AnointingEvery god in heaven brings him a weapon or a companion

Key Relationships

• Father➝Agni
• Mother➝Swaha
• Wife➝Devasena
• Slain enemy➝Taraka

Places in Skanda's Story

Drawn from the stories Skanda appears in.

• Himavatहिमवत्
• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र
• Pandava Campपाण्डव शिविर
• Saraswatiसरस्वती
• Amaravatiअमरावती
• Brahmalokaब्रह्मलोक
• Syamantapanchakaस्यमंतपंचक
• Munjaprishthaमुञ्जपृष्ठ
• Mount Meruमेरु
• Kamyaka Forestकाम्यक वन
• Forest Hermitageवन आश्रम
• Sindhu (Indus)सिन्धु

Related Characters

Others counted among the Divine Beings.

• ❉Krishna
• ◭Hanuman
• ❧Kacha
• ≈Goddess Ganga
• ★The Eight Vasus
• ॐSage Vyasa