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Skanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas
Puranas

The Puranas are a group of important Hindu religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography....
, a Hindu religious text, is the largest Purana and is devoted mainly to the life and deed of Kartikeya (also called Skanda
Skanda

Skanda is the name of deity popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Murugan, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...
 or Muruga), a son of Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
 and Parvati
Parvati

Parvati , sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hinduism Devi. Parvati is also regarded as a representation of Shakti, albeit the gentle aspect of that goddess because she is a mother goddess....
. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him. The Puranas were recited by Skanda, and is available in distinct parts, sometimes fragmented too. It also describes the Shaiva tradition in Hemakuta region (near Vijayanagar) of Karnataka
Karnataka

Karnataka is a States and territories of India in the southern part of India. It was Unification of Karnataka on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act....
, Kashi part describes the Shaiva tradition of Varanasi
Varanasi

Varanasi , also commonly known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi , is a city situated on the left bank of the River Ganges River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hinduism, Buddhists and Jains, and is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities....
, and the Utkal part states about Shaiva tradition of Orissa
Orissa

Orissa , is a states and territories of India located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It was established on 1 April 1936 as a province in British India, and consists, predominantly of Oriya language speakers....
.

itionally, the whole corpus of texts, which are considered as part of the Skanda Purana is grouped in two ways.






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Skanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas
Puranas

The Puranas are a group of important Hindu religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography....
, a Hindu religious text, is the largest Purana and is devoted mainly to the life and deed of Kartikeya (also called Skanda
Skanda

Skanda is the name of deity popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Murugan, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...
 or Muruga), a son of Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
 and Parvati
Parvati

Parvati , sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hinduism Devi. Parvati is also regarded as a representation of Shakti, albeit the gentle aspect of that goddess because she is a mother goddess....
. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him. The Puranas were recited by Skanda, and is available in distinct parts, sometimes fragmented too. It also describes the Shaiva tradition in Hemakuta region (near Vijayanagar) of Karnataka
Karnataka

Karnataka is a States and territories of India in the southern part of India. It was Unification of Karnataka on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act....
, Kashi part describes the Shaiva tradition of Varanasi
Varanasi

Varanasi , also commonly known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi , is a city situated on the left bank of the River Ganges River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hinduism, Buddhists and Jains, and is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities....
, and the Utkal part states about Shaiva tradition of Orissa
Orissa

Orissa , is a states and territories of India located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It was established on 1 April 1936 as a province in British India, and consists, predominantly of Oriya language speakers....
.

The contents

Traditionally, the whole corpus of texts, which are considered as part of the Skanda Purana is grouped in two ways. According to a tradition, these are grouped in six s, each of which consists several s. According to another tradition, these are grouped in seven s. The presently available printed editions of this text are published by the Bangabasi Press, Calcutta, the Shri Venkateshvara Press, Bombay (1910) and the N.K. Press, Lucknow and all these editions consist seven s (parts): , or , Brahma, , , and . In 1999-2003, an English translation of this text was published by the Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi in 20 volumes. This translation is also based on a text divided into seven s.

The Khandas

The consists three sections: the (35 chapters), the or (66 chapters) and the or . The is further divided into two parts: (13 chapters) and (24 chapters). The or consists nine sections: (40 chapters), (49 chapters), (8 chapters), (36 chapters), 17 chapters), (4 chapters), (25 chapters), (10 chapters) and (32 chapters). The has three sections: (52 chapters), (40 chapters) and or (22 chapters). The is divided into two parts: (50 chapters) and (50 chapters). The consists (71 chapters), (84 chapters) and (100 chapters). The (279 chapters) consists and the (366 chapters) consists , , and .

The Samhitas

The second type of division of the Skanda Purana is found in some texts like of the or the , of the , of the and of the . According to these texts, the Skanda Purana consists of six s (sections): the , the , the , the , the and the . The manuscripts of the , the , the and the are extant. A manuscript of a commentary on the by is also available.

The other texts

The manuscripts of several other texts which claim to be part of the Skanda Purana are found partially are wholly. Some of the notable texts amongst these are: , , , , , and .

The popular stories

Some of the popular stories that occur in Skanda Purana are:

  • The yagna (sacrifice) of Prajapati Daksha
    Daksha

    In Hinduism, Daksha, "the skilled one", is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis, the Rishis and the Adityas, and a son of Aditi and Brahma ....
  • The churning of ocean and the emergence of Amrita (Ambrosia)
  • The story of demon Tarakasura
  • The birth of Goddess Parvati
    Parvati

    Parvati , sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hinduism Devi. Parvati is also regarded as a representation of Shakti, albeit the gentle aspect of that goddess because she is a mother goddess....
     and Her marriage to Lord Shiva
  • The Birth of Skanda
    Murugan

    Murugan or called Subrahmanya is a popular Hindu deity among Tamil people Hindus, and is worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influence, especially South India, Sri Lanka , Malaysia and Mauritius ....
     (or Kartikeya)
  • The killing of demon Tarakasura by Skanda
    Skanda

    Skanda is the name of deity popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Murugan, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...
  • The killing of Pralambasura
  • The queries of Karamdham
  • The killing of demons Shumbh, Nishimbh and Mahishasura
    Mahishasura

    In Hindu mythology, Mahishasura was an asura.Mahishasura's father Rambha was king of the asuras, and he once fell in love with a water buffalo; Mahishasura was born out of this union....
  • An account of Vishnukund
  • The story of Padmavati
    Padmavati

    The proper noun Padmavati may refer to any of the following:* Alamelu, Hindu goddess and consort of Sri Venkateshwara of Tirupati* Another name for the Hindu serpent goddess Manasa...
  • A description of various holy places associated with Shiva and Skanda
  • The story of Trishanku
    Trishanku

    Trishanku is a character in Hindu mythology. Trishanku is commonly referred to through the phrase "Trishanku's heaven". The phrase describes a middleground or a compromise between ones goals or desires and one's current state or possessions....
     and sage Vishvamitra
  • A description of Hell
  • A description of Jyotirlingas - the important holy places associated with Lord Shiva.


See also

  • Guru Gita
    Guru Gita

    The Guru Gita is a Hindu scripture of 216 verses, authored by the sage, Vyasa. It is a part of the larger Skanda Purana. It describes a conversation between the Hindu God, Lord Shiva and his wife, the Hindu Goddess Parvati, in which she asks him to teach her about the Guru....


Further reading

  • Mani, Vettam. Puranic Encyclopedia. 1st English ed. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975.


External links