ek bar ki bat hai, shivapriya mata parvati ek sarovar ke tat par gayin. sarovar ka jal atyant nirmal aur svachch tha. usmen svarna-varn ke kamal khile the. bhagvti uma ne pahle to jal-vihar kiya, fir uske ramniya tat par unhonne svachch evan sumisht jal pine ki ichcha ki. usi samay unhonne dekha ki padmapatra men jal lekar chah krittikaen apne ghar jane vali hi hain. ‘deviyane ! padmapatra men rakha hua jal main bhi pina chahti hanu.’ krittikaon ne snehasikt svar men mata parvati se nivedan kiya- ‘tumhare garbh se utpann hone vala putra hammen bhi matribhav rakhe aur hamara bhi putra mana jae. vah trailokyavikhyat putra hamara rakshak ho.’ ‘achcha, aisa hi ho.’ shiva ne tatkshan vachan de diya. krittikaen atyant prasann huin. unhonne kaml-patra men rakha hua svachch salit thora uma ko bhi diya. bhagvti parvati ne krittikaon ke sath ukt madhur jal ka pan kiya. trinetra ki pranavallabha parvati ke jal pite hi turant unki dahini kokh se ek rog-shok-nivarak param tejasvi balak utpann hua. timirari ke tulya uske sharir se prabhapunj ka prasar ho raha tha. vah agnitulya tejasvi balak svarn ke saman gauravarn tha. uske manohar kar-kamlon men tikshn shakti, shul aur ankush sushobhit the.
vah balak kutsit daityon ke sanhar ke liye prakat hua tha, is karan ‘kumar’ uski sangya hui. vah krittika-pradatt jal se shakhaon sahit prakat hua tha. ve kalyanmyi shakhaen chahon mukhon ke rup men vistrit thin, inhien karnon se vah vishakh, shanmukh, skand, shadanan aur kartikey adi namon se prakhyat hua. vah kantiman shishu agni ke saman prakashit ho raha tha. uske sharir ki akriti divya thi. vah dekhne men bahut hi priya jan parta tha. vah divya sarakande ke van men janm grahan karke apni kanti se surya ke saman prakashit ho raha hai, isse unke hriday men sneh umar aya aur ve sauhardavash apne stanon ka dudh pilakar uska poshan karne lagin. isi se charachar praniyon sahit triloki men vah katrtikey ke nam se prasiddh hua. skandan (skhalana) ke karan vah ‘skanda’ kahlaya aur guha men vas karne se ‘guh’-nam se vikhyat hua.’ lokpitamah brahma, kshiroddhishayi vishnu, shachipti indra aur bhagvan bhuvnbhaskar adi samast devtaon ne chandan, mala, sundar dhup, khilaune, chatra, chanvar, bhushan aur angrag adi ke dvara kumar shadvadan ka senapti ke pad par abhishek kiya. bhagvan shrivishnu ne unhen sab prakar ke ayudh pradan kiye. dhanadhipti kuber, agni aur vayu ne kramshah das lakh yakshon ki sena, tej aur vahan arpit kiye.
sur-samuday ne kumar katrtikey ko anant padarth samarpit kiye. tadantar devtaon ne ghutne tekakar skand ki stuti-prarthana ki. ‘devtaon ! ap log shant hokar bataiye ki main apki kaun-si ichcha puri karun?’ devtaon ki stuti se santusht hokar kumar ne unse kaha- ‘yadi ap ke man meen chirkal se koi asadhya karya bhi karne ki ichcha ho to kahiye.’ ‘kumar! tarak namak prakhyat asurraj sur-samuday ka sarvanash kar raha hai.’ devtaon ne atyant madhur vani men nivedan kiya- ‘vah atyant balvan, ajey, krur, durachari evan krodhi bhi hai. hamlog us asur se bhaybhit aur trast hain. ataev ap ukt durdamaniya tarkasur ka vadh kijiye. yahi ek karya shesh rah gaya hai.’ ‘tathastu!’ duahkhi devtaon ke vachan sunte hi shadanan ne kah diya aur bhu-kantak tarkasur ka vadh karne ke liye ve devtaon ke piche-piche chal pare. katrtikey ka ashray prapt ho jane par surendra ne apna ek dut bhayanak akriti vale ajey tarkasur ke pas bheja. ‘asurraj! devraj indra ne sandesh diya hai.’ dut ne tarkasur ke pas jakar kaha- ‘ve devagan tumse yuddh karne a rahe hain tum apni pranon ki raksha ke liye jo bhi prayatn karna chaho, kar lo.’ ‘nishchay hi dut ko koi ashray prapt ho gaya hai.’ dut ke chale jane par asur raj ne vichar kiya- ‘anyatha ve aisi bat nahin kar sakte the.’ ‘aisa kaun vir purush hai, jise mainne ab tak parast nahin kiya hai.’
tarkasur punah vichar kar hi raha tha ki use vandiyon ke dvara balak vishakh ka stavan sunayi para. ‘tumhara vadh balak ke dvara hoga.’ daityaraj tarak ko pitamah ka var smaran ho aya. vah bhaybhit ho gaya, tathapi usne shastra dharan kiya aur apni durdamaniya sena ke sath kumar ke sammukh dat gaya. ‘balk! tu yuddh kyon chahta hai?’ tarkasur ne anupam rup-lavanya-sampann kumar ko dekhakar kaha-‘ja, kanduk khel. tu nira bachcha hai. yuddh balat tere sir par lad diya gaya hai. yah tumhare sath bara anyay hua hai. abhi tujhe samajh nahin hai. ja, ghar chala ja.’ ‘tark! yahan shastrarth nahin karna hai.’ kumar ne spasht shabdon men tarkasur se kaha-‘bhayankar sangram men shastron ke dvara hi arth ki siddhi hoti hai. tum mujhe shishu samajhakar meri avhelna n karo. vishadhar ka nanha bachcha bhi mar dalne men samarth hota hai. bal surya ki or bhi drishtipat karna kathin hota hai. isi prakar main bhi durjay hanu. tum mujhe parajit nahin kar sakoge.’ katrtikey ka kathan purn nahin ho paya tha ki dharma-vidhvansi asur ne unke upar vajratulya mugdar ka prahar kiya, kintu kumar ne use apne amogh tej vale chakra se bich men hi nasht kar diya. asur ne apne jin-jin bhanyakar astron ka prahar kiya, ve sabhi kumar ke dvara nasht ho gaye.
fir parvati kumar ne daitya par apni bhayanak gada faneki. uski chot se parvatakar daitya tilmila utha. ‘nishchay hi yah balak asadharan evan durjay shurvir hai.’ gadaghat se vyakul tarak ne man-hi-man socha- ‘ab nissandeh meri mrityu samip a gayi hai.’ mrityu-bhay se bhit ajey tarak kanp utha. uske lalat par sved-kan jhalkne lage. uski yah dasha dekhakar kalnemi adi daityaptiyon ne atyant veg se kumar par akraman kar diya. kintu amit tejasvi evan param parakrami katrtikey tanik bhi vichlit nahin hue. daityon ke bhayanak prahar aur vibhishikaen unhen sparsh tak nahin kar saki. unhonne daityaptiyon ke samast astra-shastron ko vidirn kar diya, kintu daitya unke bhayanak prahar ka nivaran karne men asamarth the. katrtikey ke astron ki nirantar varsha se daitya-sena kshata-vikshat ho gayi. dharti par jaise rakt ki sarita pravahit ho gayi aur sarvatra daitya-viron ke runda-mund dikhne lage. bara bhayanak drishya tha. rudra putra katrtikey ke astron ki anavarat varsha se daitya-dal vichlit hi nahin, vyakul ho gaya. adhir hokar kalenemi adi bhayanak devashatru yuddh chorakar palayit hue. daitya-vahini chaturdik bhagi ja rahi thi aur kinnaragan param parakrami kumar ke vijy-git gane lage.
yah dekhakar mahashur tarak krodh se unmutt ho gaya. usne svarna-kanti se sushobhit adbhut gada se kumar par bhishan prahar kiya aur itne tikshn sharon ki varsha ki ki katrtikey-vahan mayur rakt se lathapath ho bhag khara hua. ‘dusht daitya, khara rah’ kumar ne atyant kupit hokar tarak se kaha. ‘ab main teri jivn-lila samapt kar raha hanu. tu kuch der aur apne netron se is sansar ko dekh le.’ kumar ne kruddh hokar mahan tarkasur par apni shakti ka prahar kiya. shaktimurti parvati putra katrtikey ki vah amogh shakti keyur ki khankhnahat ke sath chali aur sur-shatru tarak ke vajra-tulya vaksh men bare veg se pravisht ho gayi. tarak ka hriday vidirn ho gaya. us amit balshali ajey daitya ka vishal nirjiv sharir dharti par gir para. tark-vadh se dharti ka patak kat gaya. sabhi sukhi hue. devagan vipatti nivarak parmopkari maheshvar-putra katrtikey ka stavan karne lage. unki prasannata ki sima n rahi. ve ananda-magn hokar hanste hue uchlne-kudne tatha nritya karne lage. unhonne amit tejasvi kumar ki bhuri-bhuri prashansa ki aur unhen anek var pradan kiye. is prakar harshit aur pulkit devagan sarvatha nishchint hokar apne-apne lokon ke liye prasthit hue.