Birth of the Commander

Check out the theme here: A Retelling of Valli and Karttikeya’s Love Story

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026.

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The recurring battles between the devas and danavas were as common as the ticking of time itself. After yet another battle, a weary Indra decided he needed a commander, a Senapati, for his army of devas. However, this couldn’t be someone who already existed. He wanted a man (but not human) of great strength, power, intelligence, and control. He wanted someone extraordinary, even among the devas. This meant that his parents had to be exemplary and unique.

Moreover, an asura named Taraka had performed intense tapasya to please Brahma, who liberally gave him a boon that only the son of Shiva could kill him. Since grief-stricken Shiva was in deep meditation that was supposed to last for eternity, Taraka considered the boon as good as granting him immortality.

He gathered the asuras, danavas, daityas, and rakshasas for an attack. After all, nothing could stop him from capturing Svarga, dethroning Indra, and ruling the three worlds.

Though prepared, the army of devas couldn’t face Taraka for long. With near-invincibility as his boon, Taraka didn’t stay down for more than a few seconds. The devas realized they were fighting a losing battle, and the only one to save them wasn’t born yet. The chances were dim, too, unless something happened.

The rishis and other beings on earth weren’t safe either. Taraka’s army of daityas and rakshasas targeted ashrams and innocent people at whim. Many weren’t even safe inside their homes. What was a little door to a rakshasa? Women kidnapped. Men killed. Children captured. Crops failed. Rivers dried. The worlds were on the brink of collapse.

Helpless, the devas and rishis prayed to Vishnu.

“Everything will happen in its own time. Be patient, Devendra, and continue to defend Svarga with all your might,” Vishnu assured Indra.

When the sthithi karta advised patience, what else could the devas do but obey?

Eventually, it paid off. Shiva had married Parvati and whisked her off to Kailasa, where they spent their newlywed life in romantic seclusion amongst lush forests, snow-capped mountain slopes with celestial herbs, gardens with rare blooms, and rivers gushing with waters that changed from crystal clear to pearly white.

Nature was witness to their love, so intense that the child born out of it was like no other. With Agni, Ganga, and the mountains playing their role as the seed turned to embryo and a child, the baby belonged not just to Shiva-Shakti but to the entire universe.

And thus… he was born. The one with six faces, twelve arms, and red-gold skin, with a roar that shook the three worlds, and fire hotter than Agni had ever known.

Skanda. Kumara. Karthikeya.

His growth was exceptional. He was a toddler one day, a young lad the next, a teenager on the third day, and fully grown by the sixth day. A rooster with fire-red feathers was his companion.

At first, the devas didn’t know who he was. They were worried, terrified that this powerful boy would add to their troubles. However, Indra saw the truth when the six mothers he sent nursed the child instead of attacking him. He assured the other devas that the boy was the one they were praying for, the one who would defeat Taraka.

“He will be our Senapati. This child holds the fire of Shiva and Agni within him, as well as the power of Shakti and Ganga. Do you see how he is being mothered by the six Krittikas? Through their milk, they share their tapobala with him. He is invincible with no need for amrita.” Indra explained.

The devas agreed and went to Brahma, requesting him to perform the naming ceremony and the abhisheka to crown him the commander of Indra’s army.

Once again, everyone assembled on the slopes of Mount Meru, where the young man sat with his six mothers, and a rooster clucked at his feet. This time, Shiva and Parvati were among the visitors, smiling in satisfaction as they saw their child glow with divine radiance.

Brahmadeva performed the naming and coronation ceremonies. Devendra appointed Skanda to command his army. He was Senapati of devas, the Devasenapati. One by one, they gave him gifts—powers, weapons, followers, and more—everything he needed to destroy Taraka and other asuras. Agni gifted him a banner with a red rooster. It fluttered on the chariot’s flagstaff. Shiva gave him the spear, Parvati the peacock.

When the ceremony ended, Skanda declared he was ready to lead the army.