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Skanda

Additionally referred to as Karttikeya, Kumara, or Subrahmanya. Hindu god of battle and the primary-born son of Siva (Shiva). The various legends giving the circumstances of his beginning are sometimes at variance with one another. One account is given by Kalidas (4th and fifth centuries AD) in his epic poem Kumarasambhava (“The Beginning of the Battle God”). The variations all generally agree that the gods wished for Skanda to be born in order to destroy the demon Tāraka, who had been granted a boon that he may only be killed by a son of Siva. Siva, nonetheless, was lost in meditation and was not drawn to Parvati till struck by an arrow from the bow of Kama, the god of love. After the many years of abstinence Siva's seed was so strong that the gods feared the end result, and some accounts say it was deposited into the fireplace (from which comes the name Skanda, in Sanskrit: “Spurt of Semen”).

One custom has it that Skanda was reared by, or was even the son of, the Krttikas, six wives of rsis who as stars make up the Pleiades, hence the identify Karttikeya (“Son of Krttikas”). He developed his six faces to drink the milk of his six nurses. His relationship with Parvati can be acknowledged, and he is often depicted in painting and sculpture as a six-headed youngster held by his mom, Parvati, and accompanied by his brother Ganesha. He is called Kumara (Sanskrit: “Youth,” “Boy”) as a result of he is usually thought-about to have by no means married and in Yoga represents the ability of chastity. He has enormous energy and leads the military of the gods. When he planted his spear in the earth, none might budge it save the god Vishnu, after which mountains and rivers shook.

In South India, where the god originated as Murugan earlier than merging with the North Indian Skanda, he has a large following under the title Subrahmanya (“pricey to the Brahmanas”); his temples or shrines are found in every village, no matter how small.

Skanda is commonly represented in sculpture with both six heads or one, holding a spear or bow and arrows, and both driving on or accompanied by his mount, the peacock.