Chapter Summaries

Kama shot Shiva with his five flower arrows to awaken him, but Shiva opened his third eye and burned Kama to ashes. Rati blamed Parvati and Indra, then cursed Indra’s throne to remain forever insecure.

• Brahma told Kama that only Shiva’s child could defeat Dharaka and asked him to awaken Shiva, so Kama agreed and shot Shiva with his five flower arrows.
• Kailasa shook violently, and Indra flew there while Dharaka sent Maya Asura and part of the Asura army toward Kailasa after Maya described a vision of a major event there.
• Shiva opened his eyes and third eye, and a fireball burned Kama into ashes before flying toward the Human Realm.
• Rati gathered Kama’s ashes, accused Parvati of causing his death, and blamed Indra for failing to protect the gods.
• Indra said Kama might be resurrected, but Rati rejected his reassurance and cursed his throne to remain forever insecure.

Rati cursed the gods, Parvati, and Shiva after Kama was burned to ashes, but Shiva promised Kama would be resurrected, and Indra comforted Rati without asking her to lessen his curse. The gods then asked Shiva to bear Kartikeya to defeat Dharaka, and as Shiva began creating the child with Parvati in her Moon Bell Mother form, a horde of demons attacked Kailasa.

• Rati cursed Indra and the gods with trouble from the Asuras, Parvati with childlessness, and Shiva with eventual separation from his wife.
• Shiva blessed Kama with future resurrection, while Vishnu reassured Rati and she amended her curses to make their effects temporary or allow other means of having children.
• Indra forgave Rati and urged her to pray for Kama, and she gathered Kama's ashes before departing.
• Indra and the gods asked Shiva to bear a child who could defeat Dharaka, and Shiva and Parvati took their radiant wedding forms as he began creating the child.
• Parvati revealed a demon horde attacking Kailasa, and Indra recognized the attackers as demons.

Maya Asura led an army of monsters against Kailasa while Indra and the gods fought back. Maya used his flute and a stone statue to control the mountains, turning them into enormous attackers, leaving Indra and the gods facing a new threat.

• Indra, the gods, Nandi, and Kubera left Kailasa to defend Mahadeva, while Parvati created a barrier around the mountain.
• Maya Asura sent his monsters toward Kailasa and played his Bansuri Flute to drive them into a frenzy.
• Indra, Surya, Agni, Vayu, and Varuna fought the monsters with divine attacks, combining wind and fire and then water and lightning.
• An Asura soldier reported that the mountains were attacking the army from behind, and Maya Asura revealed a stone statue that mirrored his flute playing.
• Maya Asura's music controlled the mountains and made them grow into giant peaks that charged Indra and the gods.
• Indra sent beams of golden light toward the giant mountains.

Indra countered Maya Asura’s attempt to control the gods and mountains by using a rhythm of his own, then realized how Maya worked through the senses and limbs. He summoned his Sensory Army, leaving the battle poised for a new turn.

• Indra learned that Maya Asura’s flute was using sound to control the mountains, so he played a rhythm that made the mountains and monsters dance instead.
• Maya Asura created three statues to wield illusion through sight, smell, and taste, leaving Agni, Surya, and Vayu affected by sensory deceptions.
• Indra reflected on how the five senses and five limbs connected living beings to the world, then sealed off his senses.
• Indra opened his eyes, sent brilliant rays from his upper arms and feet, and summoned his Sensory Army.

Indra’s Sensory Army broke Maya Asura’s control over the battlefield and forced him to flee to the Netherworld, where he learned that Dharaka had obtained the ashes needed to create demons. As Dharaka sent Lotus-Eyed and Star-Eyed to enlist their grandfather’s aid, scattered ashes reached the Ocean of Milk and gathered lustful power to give birth to a Lust Asura.

• Indra’s Sensory Army shattered Maya Asura’s statues, countered his flute and illusions, and drove him from Kailasa.
• Lotus-Eyed and Star-Eyed protected Maya Asura from the Sensory Army’s blades before he escaped with them to the Netherworld.
• Maya Asura told Dharaka that Indra’s Sensory Army had defeated his forces, while Dianhuan revealed that he had stolen the ashes from Rati.
• Dharaka stabbed Lotus-Eyed and Star-Eyed, then ordered them to go to the Human Realm and tell their grandfather that Indra had injured them.
• Dianhuan remembered that some ashes had spilled, but he left with his brothers as the scattered ashes descended into the Ocean of Milk.
• The ashes gathered lustful power at the place where Mohini had appeared and formed a Lust Asura.

Lust Asura vowed to spread desire and hasten the birth of a mighty Asura, while Agni and Indra discovered that roasted demons tasted delicious. Indra began preparing a lotus-leaf-wrapped demon with spices and clay, and Parvati considered cooking the demons for her husband.

• Lust Asura celebrated his awakening and vowed to spread desire so Adharma would grow and a mighty Asura would be born.
• Agni and the other gods cleared the battlefield by burning the demons, and Agni discovered he could savor their roasted flavor.
• Indra tasted one of Agni’s charred demons with lightning and realized it tasted better than demons he had killed himself.
• Indra wrapped a demon in a lotus leaf with spices, covered it in wet clay, and asked Agni to bake it.
• Vishnu explained that fire, the lotus leaf, earth, and water purified the demon and produced its sacred fragrance, while Parvati considered making a meal for her husband.

Goddess Lakshmi tricked Shesha into supporting the Three Realms for several hundred years so more roast-chicken fragrance could reach him. Meanwhile, Vishnu and Brahma sensed Kama’s aura and feared its evil thoughts would spread and weaken Dharma, leaving Vishnu to trust the gods and promise to send an avatar.

• Parvati decided she would learn to cook demonic creatures for Shiva, while Brahma and Saraswati welcomed the King of Gods’ devotion.
• Lakshmi teased Shesha about his ability to draw scents across the Three Realms, then persuaded him to support the realms for several hundred years.
• Shesha grew enormous and lifted the Three Realms, pleased when more fragrance from Kailasa reached him.
• Vishnu and Brahma sensed Kama’s aura, and Brahma warned that the resulting evil thoughts could corrupt human kings and hasten Dharma’s collapse.
• Vishnu promised to send an avatar to uphold Dharma and said he believed in the gods, especially Indra, as Saraswati arrived before them.

The gods gathered around Agni’s roasted monster, but Goddess Saraswati appeared and gave Indra the Power of Silence as a blessing. The celebration ended when Narada warned that the Asuras had gone to occupy the Heavenly Realm.

• Varuna and the other gods praised Agni and Indra while trying to secure the first taste of the roasted monster.
• Goddess Saraswati appeared, revealed the roasted chicken, and took it with her divine light.
• Saraswati praised Indra and blessed him with the Power of Silence, which he imagined using to keep others from interrupting him.
• Vishnu asked Saraswati to play music for the birth of Mahadeva’s son, and she agreed.
• Narada arrived in Kailasa and warned that the Asuras had gone to occupy the Heavenly Realm.

Narada reported that Dharaka had assembled an Asura army, while Rahu revealed that Dharaka’s sons were trying to recruit Vajra Body. Indra chose to wait for the Son of Mahadeva rather than defend the empty Heavenly Realm, and Vishnu asked Prahlad to keep Vajra Body from joining Dharaka.

• Narada warned Vishnu and Indra that Dharaka had gathered an Asura army to attack the Heavenly Realm.
• Rahu reported that Dharaka’s sons were seeking Vajra Body in the Silent Cultivation Forest.
• Indra told the gods to leave the Heavenly Realm undefended and wait for the Son of Mahadeva to be born.
• Vishnu went to Prahlad and asked him to stop Vajra Body from returning to the Netherworld with Dharaka’s sons.
• Prahlad promised Vishnu that he would persuade Vajra Body to stay.

Vishnu blessed Prahlad by promising not to kill his blood descendants until after the twenty-second generation, and Prahlad met his ambitious grandson Bali. Meanwhile, Dharaka led an Asura invasion of the unguarded Heavenly Realm, while Shiva’s divine light gathered as his son’s birth began.

• Vishnu blessed Prahlad and vowed to spare his blood descendants until after the twenty-second generation.
• Bali brought Prahlad milk porridge and said he wanted to prove himself rather than live in King Prahli’s shadow.
• Dharaka led the Netherworld Asura army into the Heavenly Realm, believing it was undefended, and his followers praised his wisdom.
• In Kailasa, Saraswati, Nandi, the gods, and the sages performed music and chants as Parvati awaited Shiva’s son.
• Indra silenced Narada before Shiva’s divine light gathered at his chest and a golden orb shot out.

The gods tried to catch the blazing divine energy born from Shiva, but Narada dropped it onto a cliff and shattered it into six pieces. As six meteors descended, the gods set out to find the Son of Mahadeva.

• The divine energy shot out of Kailasa, and Agni caught it before its heat forced him to throw it to Vayu.
• Vayu and Ganga each tried to catch the divine energy but tossed it away because it was too hot.
• Indra used his Seven-Colored Divine Bow to make a rainbow slide, while Varuna cooled the energy with water.
• Narada caught the divine energy, burned his hands, and threw it onto a cliff, where it shattered into six pieces.
• Indra and the gods blamed Narada as six silver meteors descended, and they went to find the Son of Mahadeva.

The Pleiades Goddesses found six identical infants, and Shiva merged them into one child named Kartikeya and entrusted him to their care. Shiva announced that Kartikeya still needed a teacher.

• Sambuti and the other Pleiades Goddesses found and gathered six identical babies in the reeds.
• Indra, Narada, Ganga, Shiva, and Parvati arrived, and Ganga, Parvati, and the Pleiades Goddesses each claimed the child.
• Shiva told Parvati to focus on raising Andhaka, and Parvati agreed after Andhaka pleaded with her to take the infant instead.
• Shiva ordered the Pleiades Goddesses to raise the child, then merged the six babies into one and named him Kartikeya.
• Shiva looked toward the gods and said that Kartikeya still needed a teacher.

The gods competed to become Kartikeya’s teacher, but Shiva appointed Vishwamitra to assist and teach him. Shiva also assigned Indra a wide range of martial arts to teach, leaving Indra unable to refuse.

• Surya, Agni, Vayu, Varuna, and other gods volunteered to teach Kartikeya, while Indra hoped the boy would become a powerful commander.
• Vishwamitra appeared, and Shiva told him to assist Kartikeya, promising that Kartikeya would help fulfill his wish to become a Brahman Immortal.
• Vishwamitra thanked Shiva and agreed to wholeheartedly assist and teach Kartikeya.
• Shiva assigned Indra to teach Kartikeya several martial arts, including horse riding, mace combat, archery, and elephant riding.
• Indra objected that his skills had grown rusty, so Shiva added even more weapons and techniques for him to teach.

Indra agreed to teach Kartikeya and took him with the Pleiades Goddesses to Vaikuntha, where the rapidly growing child remained under Vishwamitra’s guidance. As the devas gathered for Kartikeya’s naming ceremony, Vishwamitra stopped their planned feast, citing another of the Thirteen Auspicious Rituals.

• Shiva asked Indra to teach Kartikeya martial skills and wisdom so he could become the commander of the Heavenly Realm and defeat Dharaka, and Indra agreed.
• Indra told the Pleiades Goddesses that Asuras had occupied the Heavenly Realm and led them to Vaikuntha, where Kartikeya rapidly grew into a young child.
• Vishwamitra told Sambuti that Kartikeya must stay indoors until four months old, and she agreed to keep him in the palace.
• On Kartikeya’s eleventh day, Vishwamitra announced his naming ceremony, and the devas gathered to celebrate.
• Varuna suggested serving the devas’ monster delicacy, but Vishwamitra objected that Kartikeya could only have breast milk until he was six months old.

Vishwamitra presented thirteen auspicious childhood rites for Kartikeya, but Indra argued that Kartikeya needed martial training instead. Indra told a story about a foal discovering the river’s depth for himself, and Vishwamitra realized the story was aimed at him before standing up.

• Vishwamitra revealed the thirteen rites he had created and displayed their detailed instructions in a vision of golden light.
• Kartikeya recoiled at the Hair Cutting Ritual’s instruction to shave the child’s hair and offer it to a sacred river.
• Indra said the rites were unnecessary for Kartikeya, who needed to learn martial arts to save the Three Realms.
• Vishwamitra defended the rites as sacred customs he had compiled through asceticism and travel.
• Indra told the story of a foal who learned that others’ experiences did not determine how deep the river would be for him.
• Kartikeya understood the lesson, while Vishwamitra recognized Indra’s criticism and stood up with a dark expression.

After Vishwamitra’s ritual failed to affect Kartikeya, Vishnu revealed that Vishwamitra’s father, Katyayan, had been born as an incarnation of Castle Breaker. Vishwamitra returned to Indra, who offered to promote his rituals in the Human Realm.

• Indra encouraged Kartikeya to eat and promised to take him to chase Garuda if Kartikeya could catch up.
• Indra took the Wood Orange Leaf recording Vishwamitra’s ritual and decided to have Kamapala promote it in the Human Realm.
• Upset by his ritual’s failure, Vishwamitra questioned whether his ascetic practice had been meaningful until Vishnu appeared to comfort him.
• Vishnu told Vishwamitra that Castle Breaker had reincarnated as his father, Katyayan, and urged him to assist Kartikeya and drink Soma Wine with Indra.
• Vishwamitra returned to Indra, who praised the rituals and said he had already asked Kamapala to promote them in the Human Realm.

Indra arranged for Kartikeya to train against Garuda and several divine mounts, then named him Kumara at the Pleiades Goddesses’ request. Meanwhile, Dharaka learned that Mahadeva’s son had been born and vowed not to lose as three visitors entered his temple.

• Vishwamitra accepted Indra’s Wood Orange Leaf and bowed in gratitude after seeing his asceticism acknowledged.
• Garuda outran Kartikeya across the Ocean of Milk, and Indra told Kartikeya to train against five powerful mounts to improve his chances of catching Garuda.
• Vishwamitra yielded the naming ceremony to Indra, who asked the Pleiades Goddesses to choose a name before naming Kartikeya Kumara.
• Dharaka, seated on the Heavenly Realm’s throne, learned that Mahadeva’s son had been born and vowed that the boy would not defeat him.
• Lotus-Eyed, Star-Eyed, and Electric Ring entered Dharaka’s temple, and he asked them how it had gone.

Dharaka met Sukra after his penance and pressured the Asura Mentor to help defeat Mahadeva’s son. Sukra insisted that only Mahadeva’s power could kill his son, giving Dharaka an idea.

• Dharaka learned that Prahlad had prevented his sons from persuading their grandfather to return, then noticed Mahadeva entering the Netherworld to bless Sukra.
• Dharaka welcomed Sukra, introduced himself as the new Asura King, and explained the changes that had occurred while Sukra was away.
• Dharaka asked Sukra to kill Mahadeva’s son, but Sukra refused because he was a devout follower of Mahadeva.
• Dharaka reminded Sukra that the Asuras had taken him in and supported his return, pressuring him not to abandon them.
• Sukra declared that only Mahadeva’s power could kill Mahadeva’s son, and Dharaka realized he had found a solution.

Kartikeya raced several divine mounts across the Ocean of Milk, winning against the golden flame goat and Makara. Meanwhile, Mali and Sumali prepared an ambush after Adha reported that Kartikeya often raced there.

• Dharaka ordered Lotus-Eyed to summon Mali and Sumali, relying on their blessing that Shiva would protect them when they were in danger.
• Kartikeya overtook the golden flame goat by trapping it with a whirlpool and water tentacles, bringing his Garuda challenge progress to one-fifth.
• Makara knocked Kartikeya off balance with a mountain-sized shark, but Kartikeya defeated it with his fiery roar and carried it back to Vaikuntha, advancing his progress to two-fifths.
• Kartikeya set his sights on racing the white horse next.
• Mali and Sumali questioned Adha about Kartikeya’s habits, and Adha said they could ambush him while he raced across the Ocean of Milk.

Surya rode his white horse in a race with Kartikeya across the Ocean of Milk, repeatedly outrunning Mali and Sumali as they tried to catch them. When the Asuras finally intercepted Surya and Kartikeya, Surya attacked and destroyed their transformed axes with solar power.

• Surya showed off his white horse to the gods and raced Kartikeya across the Ocean of Milk.
• Mali and Sumali spotted Surya and Kartikeya and chased them, but the white horse accelerated and left them behind.
• Kartikeya fell while trying to catch the horse, and Surya pulled him up with a golden rope before riding away.
• Mali and Sumali later waited beyond Vaikuntha and confronted Surya and Kartikeya when they appeared.
• Mali and Sumali transformed their divine staffs into Battle Axes and hurled them at Kartikeya, but Surya blasted the axes apart with golden solar power.