Kārthikai Deepam is a festival of lights, observed by Hindus in
Tamil Nadu in the month of Kārttikai (mid-November to mid-December).
On this day, the Moon (Pournami) is near Kārthigai (Constellation
Pleiades), the foster mother of Kārttikeya, the god of war. The galaxy
of six stars gives the appearance of a pendant from the ear.
Kārttikeya had six foster mothers named the Pleiades. The Suras and the
Asuras (gods and evil cousins) were at loggerheads over everything, esp.
the distribution of Nectar of Immortality. The gods appealed to Siva,
who assumed six faces, each with an eye in middle of the forehead. Six
sparks flew from the central eyes, fell in a lake and became six
infants, nursed by six mothers called the Pleiades. Parvati picked up
the six infants and affectionately squeezed them (the bodies and not the
heads) resulting in the fusion of all bodies into one with six heads.
The other narrative is Kārttikeya’s parents were Agni and Gangā. Siva’s
vital fluid fell in Agni and thence in the Ganges, who became pregnant,
gave birth to a baby, and hid him among the bulrushes = Cyperus papyrus
= கோரை) in the river bank. Pleiades (Kṛttikās) found the babies and
raised them. Kārttikeya is his metronymic name, once the six bodies
became one with six heads in place.
Kārttikeya and the Biblical Moses. The mothers hid them in the bulrushes
by the bank of a river.
Digression is in order. The Biblical Moses. The Pharaoh had an order in
place that all male Hebrew babies should be drowned in the Nile river.
Mother of Moses placed her baby in an ark and hid the baby in the
bulrushes of the Nile river bank. Pharaoh’s daughter saw the baby,
rescued and raised him as an Egyptian.
On your left, the image shows six Kṛttikās, the foster mothers of
Kārttikeya in a basket by the bulrushes in the banks of Ganges river.
Kārttikeya goes by many names: Skanda, Muruga, Subramanya, Guha,
Kumāra, Mahāsena. He is depicted with one or six heads (Tamil
ஆறுமுகம் = Āṛumukam)
See below. Murugan the child god. AKA
Āṛumukam or Karthikeya with six heads and his consorts Devasena and
Valli seated on a peacock.
Vishnu and Brahma each thought he was supreme. Siva was standing with
the head in the firmament and feet in the depth of the world as a fiery
column. Brahma’s Vāhaṉa was the swan. Vishnu assumed the form of a boar
(Lord Boar or Varāham = பன்றி). Brahma went up flying on the swan, and
Vishnu burrowed down to reach the bottom. Vishnu came to Siva saying he
did not find the lower end of the fiery column. As Brahma rode the swan
up to find the end of the fiery column, he met a Ketaki flower. Brahma
asked the flower to bear a false witness saying he found the top end of
the column. The flower (Thazhampu = தாழம்பூ) agreed, and both reported
and lied to Siva. Siva knew the lie and immediately cursed the flower it
would lose its status as the favorite flower. Brahma, Siva said, will
never have a temple for worship. Appreciating the honesty of Vishnu,
Siva said he would have many temples and was equal to him.
Siva standing as a column of flame appeared on this day: Kārthikai Mahā
Dīpam is seen on the mountain.
Notes from Exodus.
When God's servant Moses led his people out of Egypt, they were directed
by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It is
interesting to note pillar of fire is another manifestation of fiery
Lingam. Cloud and fire are the God's guiding elements. It appears that
all the elements that Hindus consider as Brahman or God came to the
rescue of Moses and his people. Clouds and fire served as guide; the
waters parted as the wind blew and held the sea back as two walls to
their left and right. When the wet mud clogged the chariots of the
pursuing Egyptians, the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down
upon and discomfited the host of Egyptians.
|