Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 37: The History of Skanda
Text 1.37.32
सुरसेनागणपतिं ततस्तमतुल-द्युतिम्।
अभ्यषिञ्चन्सुरगणाः समेत्याग्निपुरोगमाः॥
sura-senā-gaṇa-patiṁ tatas tam atula-dyutim
abhyaṣiñcan sura-gaṇāḥ sametyāgni-purogamāḥ
sura-senā-gaṇa-patim = as the commander-in-chief of the demigods; tataḥ = at that time; tam = that boy; atula-dyutim = of incomparable effulgence; abhyaṣiñcan = coronated; sura-gaṇāḥ = the demigods; sametya = united; agni-purogamāḥ = and headed by Agni.
At that time, the demigods headed by Agni coronated that boy of incomparable effulgence as the commander-in-chief of the demigods.
First, they coronated him, and then he conquered the daityas. This is the chronological order of events.
NOTE. The Supreme Personality of Godhead notes that Skanda represents Him among generals—senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ: “Of generals I am Kārtikeya.” (Bhagavad-gītā 10.24) Śrīla Prabhupāda remarks in his purport, “As Indra is the chief of all kings, similarly Skanda, or Kārtikeya, the son of Pārvatī and Lord Śiva, is the chief of all military commanders.” He also notes, “These representations of Kṛṣṇa only give hints of His greatness.”