Lord Murugan, also known as Kartikeya, Skanda, Subrahmanya, and Shanmukha, is a prominent Hindu deity revered as the God of War. He is generally described as the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, and is the brother of Lord Ganesha. Lord Murugan holds immense significance in Hindu mythology, particularly in Tamil culture where he is considered the chief deity of the ancient Tamils.
Various Hindu literary works recount different stories surrounding the birth of Lord Murugan. According to the most popular narrative from the Skanda Purana, Lord Murugan was born to fulfill a divine purpose - to defeat the demon Tarakasura who had become invincible due to a boon from Lord Brahma.
Several birth stories exist:
According to the Skanda Purana, six divine sparks emerged from Lord Shiva's third eye. These sparks were carried by Agni (the fire god) to the Ganges river. The water in the Ganges began to evaporate due to the intense heat of the sparks. Ganga took them to Saravana lake, where the sparks developed into six baby boys. They were later fused into one by Goddess Parvati, thus creating the six-headed Kartikeya.
In another version, Lord Shiva and Parvati were disturbed during intimacy, causing Shiva to inadvertently spill his semen. The semen was then incubated in the Ganges, preserved by the heat of god Agni, and eventually born as baby Kartikeya.
In the Mahabharata, Kartikeya is described as the son of Agni and Svaha. Svaha took the form of six of the wives of the Saptarshi (seven great sages) and had relations with Agni, depositing his semen in the reeds of Ganges river, where it developed into the six-headed Skanda.
Lord Murugan is typically depicted as an ever-youthful and handsome deity. His iconography portrays him as a youthful god, dressed as a warrior with attributes of a hunter and a philosopher. He is often shown with:
The Vel (spear) is his primary weapon and symbolizes wisdom, valor, bravery, and righteousness. It represents Shakti (the divine feminine power) and is considered an embodiment of the power of Parvati.
Though Kartikeya had powers derived from Shiva, he was innocent and playful in his youth. When he came of age, he was appointed as the commander of the devas (celestial beings) to defeat the asuras (demons) who were oppressing the world under the tyranny of Tarakasura, Surapadma, and Simhamukha.
In the final battle with Surapadma, the demon took a large form with multiple heads, arms, and legs to intimidate Kartikeya. When Kartikeya threw his Vel, Surapadma escaped to the sea and took the form of a large mango tree. Kartikeya used his Vel to split the tree in half, with each half transforming into a peacock and a rooster. After Surapadma was killed, Kartikeya took the peacock as his vahana and the rooster as his emblem.
In Tamil tradition, Murugan was originally worshipped as a tribal deity and heroic warrior in the Kurinji (mountainous) regions. Over time, he evolved into a major deity and is considered the patron deity of the Tamil language and literature. He is often referred to as "Tamil Kadavul" (God of Tamils).
In northern and eastern Indian traditions, Kartikeya is generally regarded as a celibate bachelor and is known more for his role as a warrior-philosopher god.
According to scholars, the contemporary deity worshipped as Murugan, Subrahmanya, and Kartikeya is a composite of two influences: Skanda from the south and Mahasena from the north.
In Mahayana Buddhism, particularly in Chinese Buddhism, Skanda (sometimes known as KumÄra) is known as Weituo, a young heavenly general and guardian deity of local monasteries and the protector of Buddhist dharma.
Lord Murugan symbolizes a union of polarities and is considered a uniter, championing the attributes of both Shaivism and Vaishnavism. His theology is most developed in the Tamil texts and in the Shaiva Siddhanta tradition, where he is described as dhneivam (abstract neuter divinity), kadavul (divinity in nature, in everything), and Devan (masculine deity).
Through his various forms and attributes, Lord Murugan represents the eternal struggle between good and evil, and the triumph of wisdom and divine power over ignorance and malevolence.