Shiva, the great Lord, gazed upon the assembled gods and spoke with resolve, “I shall restrain my energy with energy itself, together with the goddess. Let the gods and the earth find peace.” Yet, he wondered aloud, “This supreme energy of mine, which has been stirred from its place—who can bear it? Let the foremost among you answer.” The gods, hearing Shiva’s words, replied to the Bull-bannered One, “O Lord, this energy of yours, awakened today, shall be borne by the earth.” Thus assured, Shiva released his immense energy, and the earth, with its mountains and forests, became filled with that divine force. Then, the gods turned to Agni, the fire-god, and said, “O Agni of great energy, fierce and swift, accompanied by wind—enter now.” As Agni entered, the White Mountain and the divine Saravana arose, shining with the brilliance of fire and the sun. From Agni’s energy, Kartikeya was born, radiant and mighty. At that moment, the gods and the hosts of sages worshipped Uma and Shiva with great devotion, their hearts exceedingly pleased. Then, O Rama, the daughter of the mountain, Uma, spoke to the gods. Her eyes reddened with anger, she cursed them: “Because I was restrained, though I had joined for the sake of a child, you shall not beget offspring in your own wives; from this day forth, may your wives be childless.” Having cursed the gods, Uma also cursed the earth: “O earth, you shall not have a single form; you shall become one with many wives. And you, whose mind is clouded, will not obtain the joy that comes from a son, for you do not desire my son and have angered me.” Seeing the gods afflicted by these curses, Shiva, the Lord of the gods, set out toward the region guarded by Varuṇa. There, on the northern slope of a mountain peak born of Himavat, Shiva undertook austerities together with the goddess. O Rama, this tale was recounted by the daughter of the mountain. Now, listen as I tell you, along with Lakshmana, the origin of Ganga. While Shiva performed austerities, the gods, led by Indra and Agni, approached the Grandfather, Brahma, desiring a commander for their celestial army. They bowed to him and spoke, “O Grandfather, the commander you once appointed is now engaged in severe austerities with his wife. For the welfare of the worlds, arrange what must be done, for you are our supreme refuge.” Brahma comforted the immortals and spoke gently, “What was spoken by the daughter of the mountain is not fitting for creatures with their own wives; her words are pure and true. This celestial Ganga, in whom Agni will beget a son, will bear the commander of the gods’ army, the destroyer of enemies. The eldest daughter of the king of mountains will honor that son, and he will be greatly esteemed by Uma.” Hearing this, all the gods, their purpose fulfilled, bowed and worshipped the Grandfather. Then, they went to Kailasa, supreme and jewel-adorned, and appointed Agni to obtain a son. They said, “O Agni, accomplish this task for the gods: release your energy into Ganga, the daughter of the mountain.” Agni promised and approached Ganga, saying, “O goddess, bear the embryo; this is dear to the gods.” Hearing this, Ganga assumed a divine form, and seeing her greatness, Agni’s energy dispersed in all directions. Fire anointed the goddess on all sides, and all the streams of Ganga became full. Ganga then spoke to the assembled gods, “O gods, I am unable to bear the blazing energy that has arisen from you.” Burned by that fire and greatly disturbed, Ganga was addressed by Agni, the receiver of all offerings: “Let this embryo be placed here, on the slopes of the Himalayas.” Hearing Agni’s words, Ganga released the exceedingly radiant embryo. O Rama, the mighty and radiant embryo was discharged from her streams, shining with the brilliance of molten gold. Gold, shining like the sun, reached the earth, as did incomparable radiant silver; copper and black iron also arose from its sharpness. Her impurity became tin and lead, and, upon reaching the earth, various metals increased. When the embryo was deposited, infused with radiance, the entire forest encircled by mountains became golden. From that time, O Raghava, it has been known as ‘jātarūpa’—gold, equal in brilliance to fire. All grass, trees, creepers, and shrubs there became golden. Then, the gods, together with Indra and the hosts of wind deities, assigned the Krittikas to nourish the newborn boy. Having made an excellent agreement to give him milk, the Krittikas, firmly resolved, declared, “He is the son of all of us.” Thus, Kartikeya, born of Agni and Ganga, was nourished by the Krittikas, and the gods’ purpose was fulfilled.