Kartikeya
Kartikeya | |
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God of Victory and War Commander of the Gods Kartik Purnima | |
Personal information | |
Parents | |
Siblings | Ganesha (brother) |
Consort |
Part of the series on |
Kaumaram |
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Kartikeya (
Kartikeya has been an important deity in the
The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly; he is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near an
Etymology and nomenclature
Kartikeya means "of the Krittikas" and the epithet is linked to the circumstances surrounding his birth.[6] According to Skanda Purana, six divine sparks emerged from Shiva which developed into separate baby boys in the Ganges, aided by Vayu and Agni. They were raised by handmaidens known as the Krittikas and were later fused into one by Parvati.[7][8]
While he has 108 names according to existing Hindu literature, he is known by more given names.[9] Most common amongst these include Skanda (from skand-, "to leap or to attack"), Murugan (handsome), Kumara (youthful), Subrahmanya (transparent), Senthil (victorious), Vēlaṇ (wielder of Vel), Swaminatha (ruler of gods), Saravaṇabhava (born amongst the reeds), Arumugha or Shanmukha (six faced), Dhanadapani (wielder of mace) and Kandha (cloud).[10][11][12]
On ancient coins where the inscription has survived along with his images, his names appear as Kumara, Brahmanya, or Brahmanyadeva.[13] On some ancient Indo-Scythian coins, his names appear in Greek script as Skanda, Kumara, and Vishaka.[14][15]
Birth and family
Various Indian literature recite numerous different stories surrounding the birth of Kartikeya. In Valmiki's Ramayana, he is described as the child of deities Rudra and Parvati, whose birth is aided by Agni and Ganga.[16] The Shalya Parva and the Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata presents Skanda's legend as the son of Maheshvara (Shiva) and Parvati.[17] As Shiva and Parvati were making love, they are disturbed, and Shiva inadvertently spills his semen which incubates in Ganges, preserved by the heat of god Agni, and this fetus is born as baby Kartikeya.[6][18]
According to the
In the
He is considered as the younger brother of
Literature
Vedic text and epics
There are ancient references which can be interpreted to be Kartikeya in the
Sanskrit literature
Mentions of Skanda are found in the works of
Tamil literature
Buddhist
In
Iconography and depictions
Ancient
He wields a divine spear known as the vel, granted to him by Parvati and signifies his power or shakti.[51] The Vel symbolism is associated with valor, bravery and righteousness.[9] He is sometimes depicted with other weapons including a sword, a javelin, a mace, a discus and a bow.[52][53] His vahana or mount is depicted as a peacock, known as Paravani.[54][55] While he was depicted with an elephant mount in early iconography, his iconography of a six faced lord on a peacock mount got firmly entrenched after sixth century CE along with the increasing transformation of his role from a warrior to a philosopher teacher and his increasing role in the Shaivite cannon.[56] According to Skanda Purana, when he faced asura Surapadman, he turned into a mango tree, which was split in half by Kartikeya using his Vel. One half of the tree became his mount, the peacock while the other half became the rooster entrenched on his flag.[9]
Theology and historical development
Guha (Muruga)
You who has form and who is formless,
you who are both being and non-being,
who are the fragrance and the blossom,
who are the jewel and its lustre,
who are the seed of life and life itself,
who are the means and the existence itself,
who are the supreme guru, come
and bestow your grace, O Guha [Murugan]
Kantaranuputi 51, Arunagirinathar
(Translator: Kamil Zvelebil), [57]
Regardless of the variance among the legends, his birth is in difficult circumstances, he is born through a surrogate and is raised by a host of mothers, later reuniting with his biological family. According to Fred Clothey, Muruga thus symbolizes a union of polarities.[58] He is considered a uniter, championing the attributes of both Shaivism and Vaishnavism.[59] His theology is most developed in the Tamil texts and in the Shaiva Siddhanta tradition.[6][60] He is described as dheivam (abstract neuter divinity, nirguna Brahman), as kadavul (divinity in nature, in everything), as Devan (masculine deity), and as iraivativam (concrete manifestation of the sacred, saguna Brahman).[61] According to Fred Clothey, as Murugan, he embodies the "cultural and religious whole that comprises South Indian Shaivism".[58] He is the philosopher and exponent of Shaiva Siddhanta theology, as well as the patron deity of the Tamil language.[62][63]
Originally, Murugan was not worshipped as a god, but rather as an exalted ancestor, heroic warrior and accomplished
According to Raman Varadara, Murugan, originally regarded as a Tamil deity, underwent a process of adoption and incorporation into the pantheon of North Indian deities.[5] In contrast, G. S. Ghurye states that according to the archeological and epigraphical evidence, the contemporary Murugan, Subrahmanya and Kartikeya is a composite of two influences, one from south and one from north in the form of Skanda and Mahasena.[65] He as the warrior-philosopher god was the patron deity for many ancient northern and western Hindu kingdoms, and of the Gupta Empire, according to Ghurye. After the 7th-century, Skanda's importance diminished while his brother Ganesha's importance rose in the west and north, while in the south the legends of Murugan continued to grow.[65][66] According to Norman Cutler, Kartikeya-Murugan-Skanda of South and North India coalesced over time, but some aspects of the South Indian iconography and mythology for Murugan have remained unique to Tamil Nadu.[67]
According to Fred Clothey, the evidence suggests that Kartikeya mythology had become widespread sometime around 200 BCE or after in north India.[68] In addition to textual evidence, his importance is affirmed by the archeological, the epigraphical and the numismatic evidence of this period. For example, he is found in numismatic evidence linked to the Yaudheyas, a confederation of warriors in north India who are mentioned by ancient Pāṇini.[69] During the Kushan era, that included rule over the northwest Indian subcontinent, more coins featuring Kartikeya were minted.[69] He is also found on ancient Indo-Scythian coins, where his various names are minted in Greek script.[70][note 5]
Skanda was regarded as a philosopher in his role as Subramanhya while similarly Murugan was regarded as the teacher of Tamil literature and poetry. In the late
Other religions
In
According to Richard Gombrich, Skanda has been an important deity in
According to Asko Parpola, the Jain deity Naigamesa, who is also referred to as Hari-Naigamesin, is depicted in early Jain texts as riding the peacock and as the leader of the divine army, both symbols of Kartikeya.[78]
Worship
India
- South India
Murugan being known as the God of the Tamils, has many temples dedicated to him across
Places of worship dedicated to Subramanya in
- Other parts of India
In West Bengal, Kartikeya is associated with the birth of children and is worshiped on the last day of the month of Kartik wherein a clay model of the deity is kept at night before the day of worship (usually by friends) for the newly married couple before the door of their house. The deity is worshipped the next day in the evening and is offered toys.[91] The deity is also worshipped during the Durga Puja festival wherein Kartikeya is visualized as a young man, riding a peacock and wielding a bow and arrows. He is stated to be Kumara, that is, a bachelor as he is unmarried.[91] Temples also exist in the rest of India in Pehowa in Haryana, in Manali and Chamba in Himachal Pradesh.[92] and Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand,[93][94][95]
Outside India
Kartikeya is worshiped as Kumar in Nepal. Sithi Nakha (Kumar Shashthi) is celebrated on the sixth day of the waxing moon, according to the lunar calendar, in the Lunar month of Jestha. The festival is celebrated by cleaning water sources and offering a feast.[96]
In Sri Lanka, Murugan is predominantly worshiped by Tamil people as Murugan and by the Sinhalese as Kataragama deviyo , a guardian deity. Numerous Murugan temples exist throughout the island including Kataragama temple, Nallur Kandaswamy temple and Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple.[97][98]
Murugan is revered in countries with significant population of Tamil people and people of Tamil origin including
Festivals
Festivals pertaining to Murugan are:
- cow milk as an offering and also do mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers.[99]
- Panguni Uthiram occurs on the purnima of the month of Panguni on the confluence of the star Uttiram.[124] The festival marks the celebration of Murugan's marriage to Devasena.[125]
- Karthika Deepam, a festival of lights celebrated on the full moon day of the Kartika.[126]
- Vaikasi Visakam, celebrates the birth anniversary of Murugan and occurs during the confluence of star Visakam in the month of Vaisakha.[127]
- Kanda Sashti falls in the month of either Aippasi or Kartikai of the Tamil calendar and commemorates the victory of Murugan over the demon Surapadman.[128]
Explanatory notes
- ^ Karthikeya's marital status varies across regions. In South Indian traditions, he has two wives — Deivanai (identified with Devasena) and Valli whereas some Sanskrit scriptures only mention Devasena (also known as Shashthi) as his wife. He is also considered celibate in parts of North India.[4][5]
- ^ कुमारं माता युवतिः समुब्धं गुहा बिभर्ति न ददाति पित्रे । अनीकमस्य न मिनज्जनासः पुरः पश्यन्ति निहितमरतौ ॥१॥ कमेतं त्वं युवते कुमारं पेषी बिभर्षि महिषी जजान । पूर्वीर्हि गर्भः शरदो ववर्धापश्यं जातं यदसूत माता ॥२॥ हिरण्यदन्तं शुचिवर्णमारात्क्षेत्रादपश्यमायुधा मिमानम् । ददानो अस्मा अमृतं विपृक्वत्किं मामनिन्द्राः कृणवन्ननुक्थाः ॥३॥ क्षेत्रादपश्यं सनुतश्चरन्तं सुमद्यूथं न पुरु शोभमानम् । न ता अगृभ्रन्नजनिष्ट हि षः पलिक्नीरिद्युवतयो भवन्ति ॥४॥ (...) Hymn 5.2, Wikisource;
English: "The youthful Mother keeps the Boy in secret pressed to her close, nor yields him to the Father. But, when he lies upon the arm, the people see his unfading countenance before them. [5.2.1] What child is this thou carriest as handmaid, O Youthful One? The Consort-Queen hath bome him. The Babe unborn increased through many autumns. I saw him born what time his Mother bare him. [5.2.2] I saw him from afar gold-toothed, bright-coloured, hurling his weapons from his habitation, What time I gave him Amrta free from mixture. How can the Indraless, the hymnless harm me? [5.2.3] I saw him moving from the place he dwells in, even as with a herd, brilliantly shining. These seized him not: he had been born already. They who were grey with age again grow youthful. [5.2.4]
– Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith, Wikisource - ^ Verse 7.26.2 states Kumara is Skanda, but there are stylistic differences between this verse and the rest of the chapter. This may be because this verse was interpolated into the text at a later date.[26]
- ^ Not only are king of Chalukyas defined as "Velpularasar" in the Tamil lexicons but the name Vel is expressly stated to have belonged to them as stated in the following passage of Pinkalandai:Vēļ means either the slayer of Taraka, the king of Chalukyas or the god of love.[2][3]
- ^ Richard Mann states that Skanda-Kumara may be composite deity linked to Greek deities pair called Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), given the numismatic overlap in their iconography and similar warrior-god mythologies.[71]
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General bibliography
- Bakker, Hans (2014). The World of the Skandapurāṇa. BRILL Academic. ISBN 978-90-04-27714-4.
- Clothey, Fred W. (1978). The Many Faces of Murukan̲: The History and Meaning of a South Indian God. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-90-279-7632-1.
- Dalal, Roshen (2010). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341517-6.
- Doniger, Wendy, ed. (1993). Purāṇa Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts. Albany, New York: State University of New York. ISBN 0-7914-1382-9.
- Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
- Kumar, Raj (2008). Encyclopaedia Of Untouchables : Ancient Medieval And Modern. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7835-664-8.
- Mann, Richard D. (2011). The Rise of Mahāsena: The Transformation of Skanda-Kārttikeya in North India from the Kuṣāṇa to Gupta Empires. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-21886-4.
- Parpola, Asko (2015). The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-022691-6.
- Gopinatha Rao, T. A. (1993). Elements of Hindu iconography. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0878-2.
- Lal, Mohan (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.
- Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4.
- Rocher, Ludo (1986). The Puranas. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-34-470-2522-5.
- Mani, Vettam. Puranic Encyclopedia. 1st English ed. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975.
- G. V. Tagare, Dr. The Skanda-Purana (23 Vols.), Motilal Banarsidass. 2007.
- Kaur, Jagdish (1979). "Bibliographical Sources for Himalayan Pilgrimages and Tourism Studies: Uttarakhand". Tourism Recreation Research. 4 (1): 13–16. .
- Srinivasan, Doris (2007). On the Cusp of an Era: Art in the Pre-Kuṣāṇa World. BRILL Academic. ISBN 978-90-04-15451-3.
- Srinivasan, Doris (1997). Many Heads, Arms, and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art. BRILL Academic. ISBN 90-04-10758-4.
- Varadara, Raman (1993). Glimpses of Indian Heritage. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7154-758-6.
- Pillai, V. J. Thamby (2004). Origin on the Tamil Vellalas (T.A.- Vol. 1 Pt.10). Asian Educational Services.
- Ramanujan, S R (2014). The Lord of Vengadam A Historical Perspective. Partridge Publishing.
- Meenakshi, K. (1997). Tolkappiyam and Astadhyayi. International Institute of Tamil Studies.
- Balasubrahmanyam, S. R. (1966). Early Chola Art Part 1. New Asia Publishing House.
- Subramanian, A., ed. (1978). New Dimensions in the Study of Tamil Culture.
- Zvelebil, Kamil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. ISBN 90-04-03591-5.