He told the brothers that the one who could travel around the world three times and return first would be awarded the mango. Lord Shiva, in an effort to sort out the issue, decided to arrange a competition for settling the matter. The sage advised that the mango could not be shared and that only one brother would be able to consume it and reap the divine benefits. Parvathi thanked the sage and suggested that she would cut the fruit and divide it between her sons, Kartikeya and Ganesha, as she loved them both. The Race for the MangoĪn Indian sage brought a divine piece of fruit to Parvathi and told her the one who consumed it would have supreme knowledge and immortality. Ironically, prior to marrying two wives, Murugan was known as Kumaraswami, which means bachelor god. Murugan represents the power of wisdom so the two wives completed him. Valli stands for the power of will, and Devasena, the power of actions. Although various gods are worshipped throughout the sects, all Hindus are devoted to Ganesha.Īccording to the legend, Murugan had two wives, Valli and Devasena. He prevails over success, destroys evil and is a remover of obstacles. He has an elephant trunk and ears, and is one of the five prime Hindu deities along with his parents. The esteemed brother of Muragan is Ganesha. She is a destroyer of evil and a protector of the righteous. Parvathi is the representation of the furious power of the male gods, and the personification of the divine energy of Lord Shiva. For this reason, his shrine stands separately from the other gods in most temples. Lord Shiva, the father of Muragan, is the most powerful deity in the Hindu pantheon. Murugan grew to be a handsome and honorable man and he became the commander of the Devas and a great slayer of demons. Parvathi collected the baby and asked Lord Shiva to let her keep the child as her own. The gods were rejoicing at the birth of this fantastic child. After a while, Lord Murugan was born from the reeds with six heads, since he had six mothers. The river Ganga carried the fetuses to a secluded place covered in reeds. Before they were transformed, however, each of them aborted their fetuses on a mountain in the Himalayas. When their husbands found out, they were cursed, turned into stars and sent to the sky to form a constellation. He transferred the fluid into all of their wombs, and all six women became pregnant. Shiva informed him that once the vital fluid was transferred to a woman, he would be relieved of his ailment.Īgni hid out in a deserted place, uncomfortably awaiting a suitable woman. In his desperation, he asked Lord Shiva what he could do to rid himself of this awful curse. She cursed Agni to paraphrase, she said, “You are going to get a terrible inflammation on your body from consuming that fluid, and from this day forward you will be an omnivore, and eat unclean things.”Īgni promptly developed unbearable inflammation all over his body.
Naturally, Parvathi was mortified and insulted at the intrusion. Agni (the fire god) disguised himself as a beggar, wandered in on the couple and devoured the spilled fluid in an effort to save the world. Heat began to emerge from it, and it was so hot it seemed possible that it could engulf the whole world in flame. As they were enjoying their intimacy, a drop of Shiva’s fluid fell to the ground. Newlyweds Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi lived together at Mount Gandhamadana. He also has 12 hands and rides a peacock. This means he can see any oncoming attack of war. The handsome Kartikeya is the commander of the army of Devas (Indian deities) and he is represented with six heads, enabling him to see in all directions at once. Although this sect is primarily located in the Tamil region, there are also members in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. He is considered to be the primary deity of the Kaumaram sect of Hinduism. He is often referred to as Tamil Kadavul, which means The Lord of the Tamil people. Murugan is popularly worshipped in Southern India, especially in the Indian State of Tamilnadu. His brother is the infamous deity, Ganesha. Murugan, also known as Kartikeya (Kaa-rrttih-Keh-Yuw), is the son of Lord Shiva and the Goddess Pavathi.