If the Earliest Sanskrit Tradition Speaks of Agni and Svāhā, How Did Śiva Become the Father of Kārttikeya? Among the many stories surrounding the birth of Kārttikeya (Skanda, Murugan, Kumāra), one question deserves closer examination: If some of the earliest Sanskrit traditions describe Agni and Svāhā as the central figures in his birth, how did Śiva later come to be universally accepted as Kārttikeya's father? This is not an attempt to reject any tradition. Rather, it is an invitation to study how religious narratives evolve over time and how different texts preserve different memories of the same deity. The Agni–Svāhā Narrative One of the oldest Sanskrit traditions surrounding Skanda's birth appears in the narratives associated with the Mahābhārata 's Vana Parva (particularly in several manuscript recensions), and is later expanded in the Skanda Purāṇa , Śiva Purāṇa , and Matsya Purāṇa . The story unfolds as follows: The devas visit the Saptarishis. Agni becomes overwh...
