Kumāra-Grahas in the Mahābhārata

The Kumāra-grahas are a group of unseen beings who hold power over the troubles, and the protection, of babies and young children. Kumāra means “child” and graha means “one who seizes”. Their role was set at the time of the birth of Kārttikeya (Skanda), the son of Śiva, and his battle with the army of the devas. They came out of the wound made on Skanda’s body by Indra’s vajra (thunderbolt), and Skanda gave them authority over children from birth up to the age of sixteen.

The Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata (Chapters 228 and 230) gives the earliest orderly account of these grahas, as part of the story of Skanda’s birth. The group includes harmful grahas that bring illness and distress to children, the divine Mātṛkās (mothers) who act as protective mothers, and several kinds of grahas that affect adults.

How the Kumāra-Grahas Arose

When Indra struck the infant Skanda with the vajra, trying to test or overpower him, the blow opened a wound in Skanda’s side. From this wound came Viśākha, and with him a stream of unseen beings: the Kumāra-grahas. They were formed where Skanda’s own great power met the force of Indra’s vajra, and their nature shows this double origin. They are beings of power (from Skanda’s energy) who act through sudden blows and attacks (from the nature of the vajra).

Skanda then set out their role: they would govern the troubles that come to children from birth to the age of sixteen. Children not protected by proper śraddhā (faith), proper conduct or the right rituals could be affected by these grahas. Those who were self-controlled, truly devout (āstika, holding to the Vedas and dharma) and sincere in faith were declared safe from them.

The Seven Divine Mothers and the Śiśu-Graha

At this time, through Skanda’s creative power, seven divine mothers also appeared: the Saptamātṛkās in the form linked with Skanda. Their names in this account are Kākī, Halimā, Mālinī, Bṛṃhatā, Āryā, Palālā and Vaimitrā. Together these seven brought forth a fearsome child-graha called Śiśu, a being of terrible appearance who stood for the most intense form of trouble to children. The Vīranavakas, groups of fierce beings, also arose at this time as part of Skanda’s creation of his pārshadas (attendants).

The Grahas by Name (Chapter 230)

Chapter 230 gives a fuller list. It comes when the wives of the six ṛshis come to Skanda and the Mātṛkās ask for their own authority. The grahas are named with their particular identities.

Grahas That Affect Children

  • Skandapasmāra: linked with Skanda’s protective power, acting in its destructive form toward those who do not honour him properly
  • Śakunigraha: said to come from Vinatā, the mother of birds; the bird-graha
  • Pūtanā: said to be a rākshasī (female rākshasa); the best-known of all the beings who harm children in the wider tradition
  • Śītapūtanā: a piśācī (female spirit) form; the “cold” form of Pūtanā
  • Raivata: coming from Aditi, the mother of the devas
  • Mukha-maṇḍikā: coming from Diti, the mother of the dānavas; the graha that twists the face

Grahas That Affect Adults

Besides the child-grahas, the text lists grahas that trouble adults, grouped by the kind of being they come from:

  • Deva-grahas: trouble arising from a deva’s unmet expectation or from harm done to a deva
  • Pitṛ-grahas: trouble arising from an ancestor’s unmet expectation
  • Siddha-grahas: trouble arising from a siddha’s power or curse
  • Rākshasa-grahas: possession by rākshasa forces
  • Gandharva-grahas: possession or trouble by gandharva forces
  • Piśāca-grahas: possession by piśāca beings
  • Yaksha-grahas: trouble by yaksha forces

The text also links the kinds of graha to kinds of bodily illness. This is an early sign of the Āyurvedic view that unseen causes and bodily illness are not separate, but connected:

  • Vāta-grahas: illnesses linked with vāta, the air or wind dosha (one of the three forces of the body)
  • Pitta-grahas: illnesses linked with pitta, the fire dosha
  • Kapha-grahas: illnesses linked with kapha, the water dosha

This links the Kumāra-graha teaching to the Āyurvedic idea of the tridosha (three doshas). It suggests that an illness which shows itself as a disturbance of vāta, pitta or kapha may also have an unseen side, linked with a particular kind of graha.

The Tithis Linked with the Grahas

The text names two especially important tithis (days of the lunar calendar) connected with the Kumāra-grahas:

  • Śukla Pañcamī (the fifth day of the bright fortnight): the day on which Skanda created his pārshadas; linked with the coming forth of the graha-beings
  • Shashṭhī (the sixth day of the fortnight): declared a great tithi and the day of Skanda’s chief power; strongly protective of children when properly kept. Devasenā herself is identified with Shashṭhī.

Protection from the Grahas

The Mahābhārata says clearly who is safe from the grahas: those who are self-controlled (ātma-saṃyamī), truly āstika (faithful to dharma) and sincere in śraddhā are not affected by the Kumāra-grahas. The teaching is plain: the grahas work where a person is spiritually open to harm, and building inner discipline and true faith is the main protection.

In the wider tradition, recommended ways of protection include keeping the Shashṭhī vrata (a vow observed on the sixth tithi), devotion to Kārttikeya and the divine mothers, and performing the birth saṃskāras (life-cycle rites) properly and with śraddhā.

Sources

  • Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 228
  • Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 230
  • Vana Parva, Part 5