Essence Of Skanda Purana

Kamadhenu creates Vaishyas to safeguard and assist Brahmanas

Veda Vyas informed Yudhishtara that in Dharmaranya quite a few Sadachari Brahmanas practising Dharma came to reside. In fact, there were some illustrious Sages who begot sons and from them came a huge stock of progeny; for instance some twenty four prominent Sages added to the stock such as Bharadwaja, Vatsa (Pradhama), Kaushika, Kusha, Sandilya, Kashyapa, Gauthama, Chandana, Jatkaranya, Vatsa (Dwiteeya), Vasishtha, Dharana, Atreya, Bhandila, Laukika, Krishnayana, Upamanyu, Gargeya, Mridula,  Maushaka, Punyasana, Parashara, Kaundinya and Gangasana.

The progeny of these Gothras named after these and many other Sages expanded and there came up a problem of all the men engaged in various Dharmik tasks through out the day and even early nights, there emerged problems of their security and threats from Rakashasas, Yakshas and Pisachas. The concerned Kula Devis were created by Devas to protect the Sages and Brahmanas, like Srimata, Tharani Devi, Gotrapa, Ashapuri, Icchhartinashani, Pippali, Vikara vasha, Bhattarika, Suparna, Bhadri, Mahabala, Chamunda etc. But the progeny of Brahmanas increased manifold. Once the Trimurties visited Dharmaranya and found all the Brahmanas were extremely busy collecting Samidhas, flowers, Kusha grass, wood etc. and some of the Sages narrated their hardship in procuring the Puja material from the far off forests cutting into the Puja time and energy. Lord Vishnu appreciated the hardship of Brahmanas and remembered Kamadhenu to create thirty six thousand men, known as Vaishyas  who were almost like Brahmanas at a few steps below their level, though not versatile in Scriptures, Rituals and practice of Dharma, but capable of assisting Brahmanas to fetch Puja material, safeguarding their interests and aware of the needs of Brahmanas in general.Bhagavan Shankar commanded the King of Gandharvas called Vishvavasu to supply sixty thousand girls and facilitated weddings to the Viashyas thus created by Kamadhenu to assist the Sages, Brahmanas and all those who could spare far longer time each day to the Dharmic tasks thereafter.