Skanda Creates the Grahas from Mothers
Vinata and the group of mothers come to Skanda, asking to be his mothers and to devour the offspring of other mothers. Skanda grants them motherhood but redirects their hunger: he allows them to afflict children up to sixteen years of age, and from his own body springs a being that becomes the graha Skandapasmara — the first of eighteen terrible seizers.
Vinata told Skanda: "You are my son and you are entitled to offer me funeral oblations. O son! I wish to live with you always."
Skanda replied: "I bow before you. Let it be that way. Instruct me with a mother's affection. O goddess! Worshipped by your daughter-in-law, you will always live here."
Then the entire group of mothers spoke to Skanda: "The wise ones have praised us as the mothers of all the worlds. But we wish to be your mother. Therefore, show us honour."
Skanda replied: "You will be my mothers and I will be your son. Tell me what I should do to satisfy your wishes."
The mothers said: "In earlier times, others had been thought of as mothers of the world. Let us have that position and let them no longer have that position. O bull among gods! Let us be worshipped by the world, not them. Because of you, we have been deprived of our offspring. Give them back to us."
Skanda replied: "You cannot wish for offspring that have already been given away. But if you so wish, I can give you other offspring."
The mothers said: "While we are with you, we wish to devour the offspring of those mothers. Give them to us. They and their gods are different from you."
Skanda replied: "I can give you offspring. But what you have asked for will be extremely painful. O fortunate ones! Protect the offspring as long as they are good and show you homage."
The mothers said: "O fortunate one! O Skanda! As you desire, we will protect the offspring. O Skanda! O lord! If it pleases you, we wish to live with you always."
Skanda replied: "In different forms, afflict the offspring of young humans until they have attained sixteen years of age. I will give you undecaying and terrible souls. With these, you will live in supreme happiness and also be worshipped a lot."
At that, an extremely strong being, golden in complexion, sprung up from Skanda's body to devour the offspring of humans. Oppressed by hunger, it suddenly fell down on the ground, unconscious.
With Skanda's permission, it became a graha, terrible in form. Supreme brahmanas know it by the name of Skandapasmara (the seizer of Skanda's epilepsy).
The extremely terrible Vinata is known as the graha Shakuni. The rakshasa woman Putana is known by the learned as the graha Putana. She is terrible in form. She is fearful in form. She causes great pain and roams around in the night. The pishacha woman who is terrible in form is known as Shitaputana. Her form is fearful and she steals embryos from women.
Aditi is known as Revati and her graha is known as Raivata. This extremely terrible and gigantic graha afflicts children. Diti, the mother of the daityas, is known as Mukhamandika. This inaccessible demoness happily feeds on the flesh of children.
The Kumaras and the Kumaris are said to have been created from Skanda. O Kouravya! They are extremely large grahas and all of them devour embryos. They are known as the husbands of the Kumaris. They are terrible in deeds, and without it being known, they snatch small children.
O king! The wise know Surabhi to be the mother of cattle. Shakuni rides on her, and with her, devours children on earth. O lord of men! The goddess Sarama is the mother of dogs. She always robs the embryos of women. The mother of trees resides in a karanja tree. Men who wish to have sons worship her in the karanja.
These eighteen grahas, and others, are fond of meat and liquor. They always live for ten nights in places where delivery takes place. Assuming a subtle form, Kadru enters a woman who is pregnant. She devours the embryo there and she gives birth to a serpent instead. The mother of gandharvas grasps the embryo and departs. On earth, that woman is seen as one whose foetus has vanished. The mother of apsaras grasps the embryo and sits, and the learned refer to this as a foetus that is seated.
The daughter of the ocean of blood is known as Skanda's nurse. In a kadamba tree, she is worshipped by the name of Lohitayani. Arya dwells among women, the way Rudra resides in men. Kumara's mother Arya is separately worshipped for the fulfilment of desires. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 516