Skanda Purana: Sumedha and Somavan (Sanskrit)

Abstract

This story, from the Skanda Purana (compiled ca. 700–1150), is a variation on the familiar theme of the miraculous sex change. Set in the context of medieval devotion, it highlights the idea of the devotee being in a sense more powerful than the deity. The devotee’s powers of perception are able to transform a man into a woman, and not even a deity can undo the transformation.

Translated from Sriskandamahapuranam (Delhi: Nag Publishers, 1986), originally published by Shri Venkatesvara Steam Press, Mumbai, no date.