Subramanya (Kartikeya / Murugan) · सुब्रह्मण्य

Born to defeat a demon whom only a son of Shiva could slay, raised by six mothers, carrying the Vel his mother gave him — Skanda, Kartikeya, Murugan. Why is the same god a celibate warrior in the North and a beloved young husband in the South?

Subrahmaṇya is "dear to the Brahmanas" or "the one of great auspiciousness"; Skanda, "the one who leaps forth"; Kārttikeya, "son of the Krittikas"; Kumāra, "the youth"; Ṣaṇmukha, "six-faced". In Tamil he is Murugan — "the beautiful one", perhaps the oldest name of all. Few gods are loved so intensely in one region: for Tamil Hindus he is Tamil Kadavul, the god of the Tamil land.

The demon Tarakasura had won a boon: only a son of Shiva could kill him. But Shiva, grieving for Sati, was lost in meditation, with no thought of a family. The gods sent Kama to awaken desire in him — and Shiva's third eye burnt Kama to ash. Then, the Puranas say, a spark of Shiva's fire fell, too fierce for anyone to hold…

• Six mothers and one child
• The Vel — his mother's spear
• North and South
• The teacher of his father
• Festivals
• What Murugan teaches

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• Skanda Purana
• Mahabharata — Vana Parva and Shalya Parva
• Kumarasambhavam — Kalidasa
• Tirumurugatruppadai — Sangam literature