Skanda

Hindu deity who is the son of the god
Shiva. Skanda is born to destroy the
demon Taraka, who has received the
divine boon that he can only be killed by
a son of Shiva. When Taraka makes this
request, Shiva is deep in meditation in
his grief after the death of his wife Sati,
and it seems unlikely that such a son can
ever be born. After Taraka grows too
strong, the other gods begin the process
of trying to encourage Shiva to marry,
which results in his wedding with the
goddess Parvati.
Despite the marriage of Shiva and
Parvati, Skanda is born in an unusual
way. According to the legend, Shiva and
Parvati are disturbed while making love,
and Shiva inadvertently spills his semen
on the ground (the verb skand means
“to leap” or “to ooze”). In Indian culture
semen is seen as a man’s concentrated
essence, and for a deity like Shiva this
means that the semen is inordinately
powerful, capable of destroying the
earth. The semen is first held by the god
Agni, who is fire personified, but it
proves too powerful for him. Agni then
puts it in the River Ganges, and after
10,000 years the river deposits a shining
child in the reeds by its bank. The child
is discovered by the Krittikas (the
Pleiades personified), each of whom
want to nurse him. To oblige them
Skanda grows five extra heads. As a
mark of the Krittikas’ care, one of his
epithets is Kartikkeya. Skanda grows
rapidly, assumes command of Shiva’s
heavenly host (gana), and kills the
troublesome Taraka. His persona
remains that of a warrior prince, unlike
that of his brother Ganesh, who is a
scholar and sage.
655
Skanda
Skanda, the god Shiva’s son. Skanda is a warrior
prince, born to defeat the demon Taraka.
In northern India Skanda is considered a member of Shiva’s household,
and although his power is acknowledged, he is generally not a primary
object of worship. In southern India
Skanda has been identified with
Murugan, a regional deity associated
primarily with the hunt, but also with
war. In this atmosphere he has taken on
a much greater role, particularly in
Tamil Nadu, and has assumed the mantle of a philosopher and exponent of the
Shaiva Siddhanta school.