three worlds, and shone like the bright Sun-god at the moment of his ascension in the heavens.  And that being of wonderful prowess and matchless strength, seated on the top of that hill, looked on with his numerous faces directed towards the different cardinal points, and observing various things, he repeated his loud roars.  And on hearing those roars various creatures were prostrate with fear.  And frightened and troubled in mind they sought protection.  And all those persons of various orders who then sought the protection of that god are known as his powerful Brahmana followers.  And rising from his seat, that mighty god allayed the fears of all those people, and then drawing his bow, he discharged his arrows in the direction of the White Mountain.  And with those arrows the hill Krauncha, the son of Himavat, was rent asunder.  And that is the reason why swans and vultures now migrate to the Sumeru mountains.  The Krauncha hill, sorely wounded, fell down uttering fearful groans.  And seeing him fallen, the other hills too began to scream.  And that mighty being of unrivalled prowess, hearing the groans of the afflicted, was not at all moved, but himself uplifting his mace, yelled forth his war-whoop.  And that high-souled being then hurled his mace of great lustre and quickly rent in twain one of the peaks of the White Mountain.  And the White Mountain being thus pierced by him was greatly afraid of him and dissociating himself from the earth fled with the other mountains.  And the earth was greatly afflicted and bereft of her ornaments on all sides.  And in this distress, she went over to Skanda and once more shone with all her might.  And the mountains too bowed down to Skanda and came back and stuck into the earth.  And all creatures then celebrated the worship of Skanda on the fifth day of the lunar month.

SECTION CCXXV

“Markandeya continued, ’When that powerful, high-souled, and mighty being was born, various kinds of fearful phenomena occurred.  And the nature of males and females, of heat and cold, and of such other pairs of contraries, was reversed.  And the planets, the cardinal points and the firmaments became radiant with light and the earth began to rumble very much.  And the Rishis even, seeking the welfare of the world, while they observed all these terrific prodigies on all sides, began with anxious hearts to restore tranquillity in the universe.  And those who used to live in that Chitraratha forest said, This very miserable condition of ours hath been brought about by Agni cohabiting with the six wives of the seven Rishis.’  Others again who had seen the goddess assume the disguise of a bird said, ‘This evil hath been brought about by a bird.’  No one ever imagined that Swaha was the authoress of that mischief.  But having heard that the (new born) male child was hers, she went to Skanda and gradually revealed to him the fact that she was his mother.  And those seven Rishis, when they heard that a son of great power had been born (to them), divorced their six wives with the exception of the adorable Arundhati, because all the dwellers of that forest protested that those six persons had been instrumental in bringing forth the child.  Swaha too, O king, said again and again to the seven Rishis, saying, ’Ye ascetics, this child is mine, your wives are not his mother.’