Brahma Instructs Skanda to Visit Mahadeva and Explains His Origins
Prajapati Brahma tells Mahasena (Skanda) to go to his father Mahadeva, then explains the strange circumstances of his birth — how Rudra entered Agni and Uma entered Svaha, how the semen was scattered five ways, and how the flesh-eating ganas were born from it. Skanda agrees, worships his father, and is affectionately received.
Prajapati Brahma looked at Mahasena — the boy who had been born to lead the armies of the gods — and told him where he must go.
"Go to your father Mahadeva, the destroyer of Tripura. For the welfare of the worlds, you have been born invincible."
Then Brahma explained how it had happened — the cosmic mechanics of a birth that had no single mother or father in the ordinary sense.
Rudra had entered Agni, the god of fire. Uma had entered Svaha, the goddess of offerings. The great-souled Rudra moistened Uma's vagina with his semen. This was thrown onto a mountain and created two beings: Minjika and Minjika. The remaining semen flowed into a red river. Other parts ascended into the rays of the sun. Others fell on the earth. Still others adhered to the trees. It fell in five ways.
From this scattering came Skanda's companions — the ganas, the terrible ones of many different forms, the eaters of flesh. The wise know them.
Mahasena agreed to everything Brahma said. Then the one whose soul was immeasurable worshipped his father Maheshvara, and Maheshvara in turn was affectionate toward his son.
Brahma added that those who wish to acquire riches should worship the five ganas with arka flowers. Those who wish diseases to be cured should worship them too. Those who wish welfare for children should always worship Minjika and Minjika, generated from Rudra. Those who wish to obtain offspring should bow before the divine women named Vriddhikas, who were born from trees and eat human flesh.
Thus is known the innumerable masses of pishachas (flesh-eating spirits).
Then the narrative turned to the gifts the gods had given Skanda. Airavata, Indra's elephant, had two bells known as Vaijayanti. Shakra — Indra himself — brought them and gave them to Guha, another name for Skanda. One bell was for Vishakha, the other for Skanda. The pennants of both Kartikeya and Vishakha were red.
The immensely strong god Mahasena played happily with these toys, given to him by the gods.
Surrounded by masses of pishachas and masses of gods, he was radiant on the golden mountain, blazing with prosperity. Mount Shveta was radiant with groves blossoming with samtanaka flowers, groves of karaviras, groves of parijatas, japa flowers, groves of ashokas, clusters of kadamba trees, masses of divine animals and masses of divine birds.
All the masses of gods and all the devarshis (divine sages) were there. The clouds thundered like drums, like the sound of the turbulent ocean. The celestial gandharvas danced there, together with the apsaras. The great sound of happy beings was heard everywhere.
Thus the entire universe, together with Indra, gathered on Mount Shveta and happily beheld Skanda, not tired of looking. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 517