Skandamata

Tonight, the fifth of the nine forms.

Her name is Skandamata.

And earlier today, in Episode 83, we heard how her son was born.

Shiva's fiery energy passing through fire, the gods, six women, the river, and a forest of reeds, until it became a six-faced child nursed by the stars.

The mother of Skanda.

Here is the verse many people recite to meditate on her.

[foreign language] She who is always seated on a lion, whose two hands hold lotuses, may the glorious Goddess Skandamata always grant what is auspicious.

Let us look at her image as it is usually described.

In episode 76, we heard the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, the gods passing one by one, the ghosts at the gate, Meena fainting, Shiva taking his beautiful form, and Kama rising from the ash.

Today, the fifth day of Navratri, belongs to Skandamata, the mother of Skanda.

So tonight we hear how her son was born.

First, the name.

The great wait is over.

The gods have their heaven back.

So what does this story mean on Skandamata's day? Think about the journey of that child.

He passed through fire, Agni, through the gods, through six women who could not hold him, through the river Ganga, through a forest of reeds, through six star mothers who quarreled over him.

And all of them are one.

Today is the fifth day of Navratri, the day of Skandamata, the goddess as a mother, holding her son in her lap.

It may seem strange to tell the story of Kali on the mother's day.

I do not think it is.

Label, Purana, with quotations.

The story is the Devi Mahatmya, chapter seven, retold from the text and translation on devimahatmyam.orobharati.in, the fourfold army, the goddess smiling on the golden peak, her face dark as ink, Kali's emergence and appearance, the devouring of the army, the discusses like suns entering a cloud, the deaths of Chanda and Munda, Kali's words, and the naming.

In the next episode, we meet the goddess of the fifth night herself, Skandamata, seated on a lion, her child the war god in her lap.

Thank you for listening to Dharma Katha.

How the household doll display grew out of all that, historians and families tell in different ways.

Now, why dolls? And why on this fifth night, the night of Skandamata, the mother? Here is what I find in it.

All this season, we have been hearing the great stories, the goddess and the demon armies, Shiva and Parvati, the birth of Skanda.

Enormous stories of gods and worlds.

Today, we are moving on to day six of our Navadurga series.

In our last episode, we met Skandamata, the archetype of maternal wisdom and protective grace, showing us how to hold space for others to grow.

While love and patience build foundations, there come moments in life when peaceful endurance reaches its absolute limit.

Enter Katyayani, the archetype of righteous rage, fierce clarity, and the unstoppable warrior who rises to destroy what is corrupt.

Garba is living tradition in Gujarat and among Gujarati communities worldwide, and it varies greatly by place.

Tomorrow is day five, the day of Skandmata, the mother of the war god, holding her child in her lap.

We will hear how that child, the one the gods waited for since the burning of Kama, was born.

And on the battlefield, the goddess frowns, and out of her forehead steps someone even more terrible than she is.