Today, on the full moon of January 28, 2021, we celebrate the birthday of Shiva’s eldest son: Karttikeya, Lord of War and Victory. This holy day is known as THAIPUSAM, and this year it coincides with my own birthday, January 28, 1975.
Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar, which is why dates vary from year to year — I was very grateful last year to see my birthday come about on the day of Vasant Panchami, celebrating my namesake Saraswati, goddess of Wisdom.
This year, I receive the blessing of Karttikeya.
There was once an asura named Taraka who performed severe penance to please Shiva, and obtained from him the boon that he should be defeated by no power except by Shiva's son.
Shiva had no children, and had not looked upon a woman since his wife Sati had given up her body. The asura believed that a remarriage was out of the question — so this boon would in fact give him invincibility. Protected by this new power, Taraka eventually conquered Heaven and enslaved the devas.
Some time later, though, Shiva married Parvati, who was Sati reborn. The devas rejoiced, as it had been foretold that their son would rid them of the wicked asura.
The combined energy of Shiva and Parvati brought forth intense sparks, whose heat was so intense that they were entrusted to Agni and Vayu, the gods of Fire and Wind. They brought them to the river goddess Ganga, who carried the sparks to Parvati’s sacred forest of reeds, the Sharavana. There, among the white reeds, they turned into six babies.
Soon after, the Krittikas, celestial nymphs of the constellation known as the Pleiades, came down to the river to bathe and found the babies. Overjoyed at their discovery, they placed the babes on their lap and lovingly fed them from their breasts.
Knowing that their seed had borne fruit, Shiva and Parvati came to the Sharavana. Upon seeing their mother, the six babies merged into a beautiful baby boy. He was named Karttikeya, in honour of the Krittikas who first took care of him.
In a mere six days he grew into an intelligent, powerful and handsome youth, and blessed by all the devas, was crowned leader of their army. On his seventh day, he defeated Tarakasura in a fierce battle.
Karttikeya is an ancient god, traceable to the Vedic era. Symbolising the power of wisdom and the union of polarities, he is the Philosopher Warrior god of Hinduism. The Chadyoga Upanishad (800 BCE) tells of how he taught sage Narada to discover his own soul as a means to ultimate knowledge and liberation.
In ancient coins from the 1st century CE, he is named Skanda, the Attacker, son of Parvati. But as Agni, Ganga and the Sharavana assisted in his birth, he is considered as being their child too: as Agni’s son, he is known as Mahasena; as Ganga’s he is Kumara or Murugan, the Youth; and Sharavana for the sacred forest where he was born.