Indian traditions, Nivedita and Coomaraswamy
Kumara
Brahma promises that a son of Shiva and Parvati will defeat Taraka, whose power the gods themselves cannot overcome. This need sets in motion the attempt to end Shiva’s absorbed solitude. Fire carries the fruitful germ to Ganga, and the six Pleiades place it in reeds where it becomes the child Kumara. Raised at Kailas, he later commands the gods’ army and defeats the demon.
Also known as Kumāra · Skanda · Karttikeya
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In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalBrahma promises that a son of Shiva and Parvati will defeat Taraka, whose power the gods themselves cannot overcome. This need sets in motion the attempt to end Shiva’s absorbed solitude.
Further detail
TraditionalFire carries the fruitful germ to Ganga, and the six Pleiades place it in reeds where it becomes the child Kumara. Raised at Kailas, he later commands the gods’ army and defeats the demon.
Context & interpretation
The entry follows the narrative under the name Kumara used by the collection. Skanda and Karttikeya are discovery aliases, not a claim that every account of those names has identical details. The extraordinary birth and victory remain attributed religious narrative.
Original passages
Source 1
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
a son should be born to Shiva and ParvatIOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 358
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0358
- Original scan leaf
- 358
- Recorded leaf number
- 358
- Current Reader position
- 349
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
the god child Kumara, the future god of warOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 362
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0362
- Original scan leaf
- 362
- Recorded leaf number
- 362
- Current Reader position
- 353
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Continue exploring
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The elephant-headed figure of success, wisdom and the removal of obstacles.
Shared source pageKamadeva
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