Śākha, Viśākha and Naigama

Śākha, Viśākha and Naigama are three divine beings who came into being when Indra struck the child Kārttikeya with his vajra (thunderbolt) in the reed forest. The vajra did not hurt Kārttikeya. Instead, three new beings were born where its force struck his body.

Viśākha is also a name of Kārttikeya himself, in the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa.

Birth from the vajra-strike

Kārttikeya was born in the reed forest, and the six Kṛttikā women were nursing him. Indra came to the child to test his divine nature, and struck Kārttikeya with his vajra. The vajra could not harm a child whose body was made of the tejas (radiance) of Bhagavān Śiva, passed on through many cosmic vessels. At the points where the force of the vajra struck Kārttikeya’s body, three separate divine beings came out:

• Śākha, born from one point of impact.
• Viśākha, born from another.
• Naigama, born from the third.

So these three owe their birth to the unbreakable body of Kārttikeya (Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Kumāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 3).

Viśākha as a name of Kārttikeya

The Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa tells of a dispute that arose after Kārttikeya’s birth about who his parent was. Agni, Kuṭilā, Umā and Bhagavān Śiva each made a claim. Bhagavān Śiva settled the claims by giving Kārttikeya four names, one for each claimant-parent. Viśākha was the name given to Kārttikeya as the son of Umā, who is also called Pārvatī.

Sources

• Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṃhitā, Kumāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 3
• Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa (no chapter given)