The River Ganges or Gaṅgā - VIII

In the Skaṅda Purāṅa, Gaṅgā is mentioned as being instrumental in the birth of Kārtikkeya, the eldest son of Śiva and Pārvati, and is thus considered as the foster-mother of Kārtikkeya. The Maheśwara Khaṅd of the Skaṅda Purāṅa states that Śiva and Pārvati were happily enjoying conjugal bliss on Gandhamadan Mountain. It so happened that an extremely small quantity of Śiva's sperm fell on the ground, while they both were in the raptures of making love. The sperms generated considerable heat and the world began to burn. Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Brahmā instructed Agnī (God of Fire) to find some method to curtail the heat. Dressed as a hermit, Agnī went to the Gandhamadan Mountain and asked for alms from goddess Pārvati, who had nothing to give at that moment. Agnī begged for Śiva's sperms that had fallen on the ground. Out of compassion Pārvati agreed. In order to destroy the sperms, Agnī swallowed the sperms and attempted to burn and destroy them. However, Pārvati discovered the trick played by Agnī and cursed him that he would henceforth become omnivorous and the sperms would cause terrible inflammations in his body.

As a result, Agnī suffered extreme heat due to the inflammations and sought Lord Śiva's help in relieving himself from this pain. Lord Śiva told Agnī to implant the sperms in any woman's womb and thus obtain relief from the inflammations. Agnī went away and on the way, he met six beautiful Krittikas, who were shivering with cold. Agnī planted the sperms of Śiva in the six Krittikas through their skin pores and thus relieved himself of the intense inflammations. When the husbands of the six Krittikas learnt that their respective wives were pregnant, they became furious and cursed them into becoming Nakśatras or constellations in the sky. Before becoming the constellations, the six Krittikas aborted their fetuses or Skanda at the Himālaya Mountains. The river Gaṅgā during her course in the Himālayas, carried the six fetuses with her and kept them in a secluded place which was full of reed bushes. In time, Kārtikkeya, with six heads, emerged from those reeds and Pārvati, also known as Umā, embraced Kārtikkeya as her eldest son. Kārtikkeya was born to fulfill his destiny of killing Tārakasura, a demon, which he gloriously fulfilled.

Kārtikkeya is the first son of Śiva and Pārvati. Gaṅgā is the foster-mother of Kārtikkeya.