My ishtadeva has always been Murugan. Let me share his birth..
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ. ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
Not the destructive kind.
The conscious kind.
According to the ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ, the universe had reached a breaking point. The demon Taraka had grown arrogant through a boon. He could not be killed by any god, any weapon, or any force already in existence.
Classic problem.
When ego becomes untouchable, only a higher intelligence can intervene.
That intelligence emerged from ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฎ himself.
Shiva opened his third eye and released six blazing sparks of pure consciousness. Not babies. Not bodies. Raw awareness. So intense that no being could hold them.
Agni tried and failed.
Vayu tried and panicked.
Everyone realised divinity is easy to worship, but difficult to carry.
Finally, the sparks were placed in the River Ganga. Even she could not hold them for long and carried them gently to a serene lotus-filled lake known as Saravana Poigai.
There, the miracle happened.
Each spark transformed into a radiant infant, resting on a lotus. Six babies. Six directions. Six expressions of divine intelligence.
They were discovered by the Krittikas, the celestial sisters we now know as the Pleiades stars. They nurtured the children with love, devotion, and maternal warmth. That is how Murugan earned the name Kartikeya.
Then came ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ.
When Parvati saw the six infants, she did what only a mother could do. She embraced them all at once. And in that embrace, the six became one.
One child.
Six faces.
Twelve arms.
Thus was born ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป, also known as Arumugam, Shanmukha, Saravanabhava, Skanda, Subramaniam.
Each face represents a dimension of wisdom.
Each arm symbolises action guided by awareness.
And if you are wondering why Murugan looks permanently youthful, that is because pure awareness does not age. Only our worries do.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐
Murugan is not a distant god in Tamil culture.
He is family.
The Tamil Sangam texts, the Tirumurugatrupadai, and later Shaiva traditions celebrate Murugan not as an abstract deity, but as a living presence. A friend. A guide. A stern teacher when required.
Nowhere is this relationship more alive than in the ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐, the six sacred abodes of Murugan. These are not random temples. They are milestones in Murugan’s divine journey.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ธ๐๐ป๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ
Here, Murugan marries Deivanai after defeating Surapadman. It symbolises mastery over ego before entering worldly life.
๐ง๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฟ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ
Located by the sea, this is where Murugan wages war against darkness and defeats Surapadman. Waves crash endlessly, reminding us that discipline must be constant.
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ
Murugan appears as a renunciate. The child becomes the teacher. Knowledge without humility, he reminds us, is just noise.
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ
Here, Murugan teaches the meaning of the Pranava mantra to Shiva himself. Yes, the student becomes the guru. Spiritual maturity has no age requirement.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ
This abode represents peace. After victory comes stillness. After striving comes silence.
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ
Set amidst lush forests, this is Murugan as the eternal companion. Nature, devotion, and simplicity meet here.
Six abodes.
One message.
Life moves through effort, battle, humility, wisdom, peace, and harmony.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐
Murugan is not worshipped because he killed a demon long ago.
He is worshipped because he continues to kill the Tarakas within us.
The arrogance that thinks it knows everything.
The pride that refuses to bow.
The ignorance that mistakes noise for wisdom.
And the Vel.
Ah, the Vel.
Not a weapon of violence, but of clarity.
Sharp enough to cut illusion.
Precise enough to point inward.
Murugan does not ask for blind belief.
He asks for courage, discipline, and self-honesty.
Which explains why devotees walk barefoot, carry kavadis, climb hills, and chant endlessly.
Because transformation has never been comfortable.
And perhaps that is why Murugan remains eternally young and handsome.
Because those who walk the inner path must always be willing to begin again.
Vel Vel ๐
Prem Ananth Ramachandran