11TH DECEMBER SUBRAMANYA SASTI

“Subrayana Shasti” December 11th 2010 it will be celebrated on Margashira Shukla Shasti. Subramanya likes this day very much, because it is on this day that he killed Tarakasura.

Lord Subramanya is a ray born of the Divine Consciousness of Lord Siva.They represent the power of action and the power of knowledge respectively.He is Godhead easily accessible in this dark age of ignorance and lack of faith.He gives material and spiritual prosperity and success in every undertaking of His devotees, even if they show a little devotion to Him.He is worshipped with great devotion in South India.

Lord Subramanya's other names are Kumaresa, Kartikeya, Shanmukha, Guha, Muruga and Velayudhan.
He is called as Kumaresa– as he always looks like a small boy
He is called as Shanmukha as he has six faces
He is called as Kartikeya as he was brought up by six sisters named Kruttika.

Lord Krishna says in the Gita: "Among the army generals, I am Skanda".

Lord Subramanya holds a spear in His hand, just as Lord Siva holds the trident. This is an emblem of power.It indicates that He is the ruler of the universe.

His vehicle is the peacock. He rides on it. This signifies that He has conquered pride, egoism and vanity.

There is a cobra under His feet, which indicates that He is absolutely fearless, immortal and wise.

Valli is on His one side, Deivayanai on the other

The six heads represent the six rays or attributes, namely, wisdom, dispassion, strength, fame, wealth and divine powers.
They indicate that He is the source of the four Vedas, the Vedangas and the six schools of philosophy.

They also indicate His control over the five organs of knowledge as well as the mind.
Subramanya Shashti celebrates the day when a great demon called Taraka was defeated.It falls in December. It is the day on which Lord Subramanya defeated the demon Taraka.

BACKGROUND:-
Tarakasura is the son of Vajranga (Son of Kashyapa-Diti) and Varangi. He did severe penance to Brahma and pleased him and sought the boon that no one shall be more powerful than him and with the second boon was that his death could come only from a son born to Shiva. Tarakasura knew that lord shiva had already lost his wife Satidevi and he was in deep penance and he thought the shiva can’t have son all of a sudden.

After getting the great boons, Taraka was killing all the kings and spoiling the hermitages of sages. All sages, celestials, unable to sustain the hindrance by Tarakasura, went to Brahma, who in turn sent Bruhaspati to negotiate with Tarakasura, but he refused and there was a war in between Gods and demons, in which Gods were defeated. All the gods then went to Brahma to appeal for help Brahma said to the gods, "O Devas, I cannot destroy Taraka, as he has obtained My Grace through severe penance.But let me give you a suggestion. Get the help of Manmadha, the God of Love. Induce him to tempt Lord Siva, who remains absorbed in His Yoga Samadhi.Let Lord Siva unite with Parvati. A powerful son, Lord Subramanya, will be born to them. This son will destroy the demon that harasses you."

Indra, the chief of the gods, thereupon requested Manmadha to go with his wife, Rati, and his companion Vasanta (the season of spring), to Mount Kailas, the abode of Siva and to stop the meditation of Shiva. Manmadha arrived in front of Shiva alongwith Ratidevi, and shot five arrows of flowers at the heart of Shiva. His intention was to make Shiva look at Parvathi and enable their marriage, which in turn would result in a son for the killing of Tarakasura (as per boon).
But when lord shiva’s penance was broken, he was terribly angry the Lord opened His "third eye", the inner eye of intuition, and manmadha was burnt to ashes by the fire that emanated from it.After burning manmadha, the Lord ascertained by His Yogic vision that the birth of Lord Subramanya was absolutely necessary to destroy the powerful Taraka.

Shanmukha became Kumara - the powerful virile adolescent who was also the beautiful and the handsome ( Muruga). He is the Lord of War and the most handsome among gods. He is the commander of the army of the devas. "Skanda received from his mother Parasakthi an all powerful Vel (lance).Hence He is also Sakthi Velan. He engaged the armies and fought with Simhamukha, Surapadman and Tarakasura on a six day battle and vanquished all of them on the sixth day. The Asuras were annihilated and the Devas were liberated. The sixth day (Sashti) in the month of Dec) is celebrated as Subramanya Sashti.

If one does the pooja or visit subramanya temple, on this day, he will be free from all his sins. If one performs skanda shasti prayers, then they will be relieved from difficulties from snakes, they will free from the malefic effect of the all evil planets, get free from skin diseases and the devotee will also be blessed with good children.