Skanda Sashti Festival at Hindu Temple of Georgia

Murugan, also called Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity among Tamil Hindus, and is worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influence, and especially in South India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Situated deep in the south of Sri Lanka, Hindus as well as Buddhists, revere a highly sacred shrine, Kathiragama Temple, also in Sinhala \"Kathiragama Devalaya,” dedicated to Him.

Lord Murugan is more popular in Southern India as compared to other parts of India. Like most Hindu deities, He is known by many other names, including Senthil, Saravaṇa, Karthikeya , wwhich means “son of Krithika”, Arumugam or Shanmukha ,meaning “one with six faces”, Kumara, meaning \'child or son\', Guha Skanda, meaning “that which is spilled or oozed,” also “seed” in Sanskrit, Subrahmaṇya, Velan, and Swaminathan. He is the God of war and the patron deity of the Tamil land (Tamil Nadu). According to the Tamil devotional work, Thiruppugazh, \"Murugan never hesitates to come to the aid of a devotee when called upon in piety or distress.”

The references to Murugan in Sanskrit literature can be traced back to the first millennium BCE. There are references to Subrahmanya in Kautilya\'s Arthashastra, in the works of Patanjali, in Kalidasa\'s epic poem the Kumarasambhavam and in the Sanskrit drama Mricchakatika. The Kushanas, who governed from what is today Peshawar, and the Yaudheyas, a republican clan in the Punjab, struck coins bearing the image of Skanda. The deity was venerated also by the Ikshvakus, an Andhra dynasty, and the Guptas. The worship of Kumara was one of the six principal sects of Hinduism at the time of Adi Shankara. The Shanmata system propagated by him included this sect. In many Shiva and Devi temples of Tamil Nadu, Subrahmaṇya is installed to the left of the main deity. The Atharva Veda describes Kumaran as “Agnibhuh”, or son of Agni, the fire god. The Satapatha Brahmana refers to him as the son of Rudra and the ninth form of Agni. The Taittiriya Aranyaka contains the Gayatri mantra for Shanmukha. The Chandogya Upanishad refers to Skanda as the \"way that leads to wisdom.” The Baudhayana Dharmasutra mentions Skanda as “Mahasena” and “Subrahmanya.” The Aranya Parva canto of the Mahabharata relates the legend of Kartikeya Skanda in considerable detail. The Skanda Purana is devoted to the narrative of Kartikeya.

Sati, the consort of Shiva, immolated herself at the Daksha Yagna, which was later destroyed by Shiva. Sati was reborn as Uma, or Parvati, the daughter of the mountain king Himavaan (the Himalayas). Shiva withdrew himself from the universe and engaged himself in yogic meditation in the Himalayas. In the meanwhile, the demon Surapadman ravaged the earth and tormented its beings. It was realized by the gods that only the son born of Shiva could lead the gods to victory over Tarakasuran, Surapadman, and their demon companions. They plotted with Kamadeva, to shoot a flower arrow at Shiva, as he sat in meditation, so as to make him fall in love with Parvati. When Kama aimed his arrow, Shiva opened his third eye and burned Kama to ashes instantly. The sparks of the fiery seed of Shiva were unbearable, even the fire God Agni could not bear them. This fire was then transported by the river Ganga into the Saravana Forest, and into a pond called the Saravana Poigai (located at mouths of river Ganga), where the sparks became six children.They were raised by the six Krithika, or Karthika, (the stars that make up the Pleiades), earning the name Karthikeya. Parvati combined these six babies into one with six faces, i.e. Shanmukha or Arumugan. Since he was born in the Saravana he was also called “Saravanabhava.” Lord Shiva made Karthikeya the commander-in-chief of the army of the Devas. He is also married to Devasena, Indra\'s daughter. The origin of this marriage lies probably in the punning of “Deva-sena-pati.” It can mean either lord of Devasena or Lord of the army (sena) of Devas.

Murugan became the supreme general of the demi-gods, then escorted the devas and led the army of the devas to victory against the demons. The six sites at which Karthikeya sojourned while leading his armies against Surapadman are Tiruttanikai, Swamimalai, Tiruvavinankudi (Palani), Pazhamudirsolai, Tirupparamkunram, and Tiruchendur. All these sites have ancient temples and are glorified by the Tamil poems of the Tirumurugaatruppadai of the Sangam period (circa the 3rd century CE). These six sites collectively came to be known as the \"Arupadai Veedu.\" In Tamil this means - the six battle camps of the Lord.

The commemoration days of the batlle between Kartikeya and the demons are called “Skanda Sashti.”tag heuer carrera 1887 replica They comprise six days, starting on the first day of the new moon in the Tamil month of “Aippasi,” because it took six days for the Lord Karthikeya to conquere the demons. The seventh day is considered the wedding day of Lord Karthikeya. On this day he married Devasena, the daughter of Indra. These days were celebrated in a grrand and auspicious manner at the Hindu Temple of Georgia, also known as the ShivaVishnu Temple of Georgia.

Posted by Commander Selvam

Posted Date 20.12.2014