My ishtadeva has always been Murugan. Let me share his birth..
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲.
Not the destructive kind.
The conscious kind.
According to the 𝗦𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮, 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 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗮 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 𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶.
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 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻, 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.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗱𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁
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 𝗔𝗿𝘂𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗶 𝗩𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘂, the six sacred abodes of Murugan. These are not random temples. They are milestones in Murugan’s divine journey.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗸𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲
Here, Murugan marries Deivanai after defeating Surapadman. It symbolises mastery over ego before entering worldly life.
𝗧𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲
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.
𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲
Murugan appears as a renunciate. The child becomes the teacher. Knowledge without humility, he reminds us, is just noise.
𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲
Here, Murugan teaches the meaning of the Pranava mantra to Shiva himself. Yes, the student becomes the guru. Spiritual maturity has no age requirement.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲
This abode represents peace. After victory comes stillness. After striving comes silence.
𝗣𝗮𝘇𝗵𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲
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.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘆
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 🙏
Prem Ananth Ramachandran
