Introduction
Son of Shiva and Parvati. Worshipped through various other names also such as
Kurnaraswami, Shanmukha,Subrahmanya.. He resurrected the path of virtue by killing
Tarakasura and Shurapadma who were harassing the world.
Author - T.Keshava Bhatta
Kartikeya
In Bharat, Ganesha is a very popular deity. The young and the old alike worship him.
Like Ganesha, the other beloved son of Parvati is Kartikeya. He is a hero who even as a
very young boy, became the commander of the army of the angels and killed wicked Rakshasas
(demons) like Taraka.
Kartikeya has several names. As he was breast-fed by six Karittika deities, he is called
'Kartikeya'. Since he has six faces, he is 'Shanmukha'. Because of his omniscience, he is
'Subrahmanya'. As he gathered a huge army to kill the demons, he is also called
'Mahasena'. Since he captained the army of the angels in the fight with the Rakshasas, he
was given the title of 'Senani' or 'Commander'. Since he was born out of the life-source
that slipped ('Skanna) from Shiva, he is named 'Skanda'. With the peacock as his mode of
transport, he is 'Shikhivahana'. And he is always a young boy because of which he is
'Kumara'. This term also means that he is one who kills evil persons. And he is more
handsome than Manmatha, the Gods of Love. He is worshipped as 'Guha' too,
since he protects his devotees from enemies. He thus has a large number of names.
For those who do great and good deeds for the welfare of the world and are considered
Gods, it is no wonder that there are a hundred or even a thousand such names. |
