KARTTIKEYA (The Son of Shiva)

In an age where wars were frequent, whether to subdue an enemy or to conquer new lands, the emergence of a God of War was inevitable. This god, full of youth and vigour, outshining the luminosity of the Sun, was Karttikeya, the Son of Shiva; Murugan for devotees of the South.

According to one story, Karttikeya's birth took place under unusual circumstances. Indra was sitting deep in thought on the mountains, pondering on the problem who should be the commander of his armed forces, when suddenly he heard the cries of beautiful young girl on the verge of being kidnapped by a demon. Indra rescued the girl and she said that if she had a husband to protect her, she would be free from the dangers of demons. Devasena, the girl, wanted a husband who was invincible, famous and a devotee of Brahma, one who could conquer the daityas and the devatas. For her was produced Karttikeya who grew up very fast and by the second and the third day had 6 heads, 12 eye, 12 years and 12 arms.

So go on the stories about the birth of Karttikeya. Legends constantly merge with imagination to pour forth hundreds of stories. The basic attempt is to protect the pure, how to make the wicked suffer for their misdeeds.

Dr. Shakti Gupta traces in her book the various aspects and legends which are built over the time around Karttikeya. She has collected invaluable material from history, literature and foklore to present to the reader an image of Karttikeya which has for centuries received veneration, respect and devotion from Hindus in this vast subcontinent.

C. Sivaramamurti, Indologist and Archeologist of International fame in his Foreword says. "This theme so interesting, Karttikeya, the son of Shiva has been chosen by Dr. Shakti Gupta for her book in which she has discussed the various aspects of Skanda. I am sure this woud he welcomed as an addition to our knowledge on one of the numerous deities of the Hindu pantheon that deserves to be better known than as in our knowledge today." Photographic illustrations add luster to the book and makes it a worthwhile possession for anyone interested in religious folklore.

About the Author

Born and brought up in pre-partition Lahore (Pakistan). Dr. Shakti M. Gupta did her Ph.D. in Botany from the Delhi University and her Ph.D. in oriental Archeology from Martin-Luther University, Halle-wittenberg. German Democratic Republic. Her published works include, Plant Myths & Tradition in Mythology, Loves of Hindu Gods & Sages, Surya the Sun-god, Legends around Shiva, Woman on Men, a novel Biography of Birbal Sahni, a Paleobotanist. Her work under publication is: Fair and Festivals of India.

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Preface

1. IN HISTORY AND LITERATURE

2. NUMISMATIC AND EPIGRAPHICAL EVIDENCE

3. SOLAR SYMBOLISM OF KARTTIKEYA

4. RITUALS AND THE CULT OF MURUGAN

5. KARTTIKEYA IN THE EPICS AND THE PURANAS

6. BIRTH OF TARAKA ASURA

7. CHILDHOOD MIRACLES OF KARTTIKEYA

8. KARTTIKEYA DECIDES TO REMAIN A BRAMHACARIN

9. EPITHETS OF KARTTIKEYA

10. SYNCRETISM

11. MATRIKAS OR THE MOTHER GODDESSES

12. TEMPLES, FASTS AND FESTIVALS

13. THE CULT OF KHANDOBA

14. ICONOGRAPHY

15. SYMBOLISM OF SKANDA IMAGES

16. CONCLUSION

17. DESCRIPTION OF PLATES

18. HAND GESTURES, HAIR STYLES, MONTHS OF THE LUNAR CALENDAR

    Glossary

    References

    Select Bibliography

    Index

    Illustrations