He will help you tear through the veil of duality or deceit and come out into the aradiance of the Truth. He is Skanda, Muruga(n), Kartikeya. The Other Son.

What I find most fascinating or rather ridiculously amusing is the way we, the flawed shadow of The One, go out of our way to put somebody or an ideology that doesn’t confirm with our own, into the ground, in order to heave somebody we believe in or an idea we profess or a dogma or a prejudice that we hold on to, to beautiful heights…in the belief that the only way one’s ideology can be lauded, is if all other parallel beliefs are ridiculed and thus in some obnoxiously trivial way, with our upheld ideology, we too find a place in the Sun.

 So many of those who profess a faith in Hinduism will try to belittle those who have faith in Islam and many who profess a faith in Islam will try to scoff at a Hindu’s way of worship. Ideally it would make sense if both these very loud but overtly pious groups would just focus on their own religion and have enough faith in their beliefs, thus negating the need to flush somebody else’s faith down the over used drainage pipes.

But forget being judgmental and critical about another religion, most of us are critical of even those professing the same faith but not in the same manner in which you and I, worship. So you have Zoroastrians trying to loud mouth other Zoroastrians into a stunned silence. A Lord Shiva worshipper looking down on a follower of Lord Vishnu and vice versa and a Shia Muslim having a major issue with a Sunni Muslim and vice versa.

If you don’t follow exactly the way I lead or I follow, then my friend, you aren’t a friend of mine.

So why this song and dance about religious idiosyncrasies and human pettiness and a permanent loss of reason, when I am supposed to be writing about Lord Subramanya also known as Lord Muruga(n) Lord Kartikeya and Lord Skanda.

Anybody who knows about Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati, know that Lord Ganesha is Their Son. I mean even those who do not profess the faith of Hinduism, are aware of this fact.

But often even those following the path of Hinduism, are unaware of who is The Other Son of Lord Shiv and Maa Parvati and the chances are they would sort of wonder or hesitate and the only referral point of knowing who the Other Son is, is in regard to the famous Race, held between the two Brothers and how Lord Ganesha wins the race with His wisdom. Instead of circling creation thrice, Lord Ganesha circles His Parents thrice, stating that for Him, the World are His parents and thus The Other Son, loses the race.

 The Other Son being Lord Kartikeya.

Just as ideologies change, so do the worship of Gods and Goddesses. Lord Skanda or Subramanya, is now virtually a forgotten God in most parts of the country, except in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu and few other places, where He still is revered; even though Skanda has been worshipped for over two millennia.

There was a time when Lord Ganesha was not right up there on the popularity Charts of Gods and Goddesses. In fact before the fifth century B.C., he was barely known. Those days it was all about Lord Kartikeya. Even the Ramayana, written over seven thousand years ago and The Mahabharat, written five thousand years ago mention and praise Lord Skanda.

Lord Rama’s mother, Mother Kausalya, prays to Skanda to keep Her Son, Lord Rama protected, when Lord Rama took Her blessings before leaving for His exile. Lord Rama had to go into exile. In the Mahabharat, Lord Krishna that, “amongst all commanders”, He, The Lord Himself, is Skanda.

So you get my drift, Lord Kartikeya was really revered in those days.

Not many know that in Maharashtra, those days, He was also called Lord Khandoba, though now Lord Khandoba is considered to be a Lord Shiv avatar.

In the sixth century the popular Gods were Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Surya and Skanda. Lord Ganesha and even Maa Laxmi were not very prominent on the religious popularity charts. By the twelfth and thirteenth century, Brahma, Surya and Skanda began to lose Their hold on the mercurial charts of worship and as time elapsed The Great Warrior Chief of The Gods, Skanda has been relegated to the by lanes of The Divine Highway.

So, fame is fickle. Even for Gods. Only mankind can make the very heavens weep and if we are created in the image of God…God help us all but first God better help Himself.

 I heard of Lord Subramanya, from my Swamiji Naik.

He was a spiritual power house. In His presence all was well. I met Him and wrote a book on Maa Mookambika Devi, Lord Subramanya and Him, Swamiji Naik, called Devi’s Emerald.

All that I know of the power of Lord Subramanya is through Him. The grace and love of The Goddess, I experienced through Him.

We spent a lot of time together. Had lots of fun and laughs and food and even at eighty years of age, He was like a teenager in spirit and joy.

Yes we had our differences of opinion towards the end, but I met Him months before He took Samadhi and the little time we spent together, it was like old times. I treated Him like a father and He treated me as a demented son.

I miss Him terribly but feel His presence every time I sit for channeling and every time a family is suffering from Kal Sarpa Dosh and the family is sent to Subramanya to do the one-and-a-half-day prayer ceremony.

 So, who is Lord Skanda? Well as mentioned He is Lord Shiva’s and Maa Parvati’s Son. Some books claim Him to be the eldest Son, while some claim Him to be the younger Son and of course there are books that claim Him not to be Their Son, but the infant of Lord Surya.

Anyway, one thing all books agree on is that in a very strange way Lord Skanda or Lord Muruga(n) became Lord Shiv’s Guru.

This is how it took place. One day, for some odd reason, I truly do not know why, Lord Brahma, told something, not very God likes to a very young Muruga(n).

The young Muruga(n) did not appreciate Lord Brahma’s attempt at humour and decided to take matters in His own hands. He asked Lord Brahma the meaning of the word Aum or Pranava. Lord Brahma tried to explain the meaning but Muruga(n) wasn’t happy with the explanation and as He was already a tad upset (am putting it mildly as this article might be read by those faint at heart), Muruga(n) said a few un-publishable things to Lord Brahma and then just to round things up better, even imprisoned Lord Brahma, telling the Latter that He was not fit to perform the role of The Creator.

So Lord Muruga(n) decided to take on the role of The Creator. It was only when Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Indra, the Son of Lord Brahma, appealed to Lord Muruga(n) to release Lord Brahma did Skanda oblige.

 Lord Shiva then asked Lord Muruga(n) what did the word Aum or Pranava truly mean. The Son, whispered the true meaning of the word Aum to Lord Shiva, who received the true meaning with humility that only God can have and thus having dispelled the only thing Lord Shiva was unaware of and thus dispelling the faint shadows of darkness and revealing the True Light, Lord Subramanya, became The Guru of Lord Shiva, His Father and was thus called Swaminatha, which means The Guru of The Father.

In reality even the name Muruga(n) is from the ancient word Murukan. Lord Subramanya is called the Six Headed God. He came out from Shiv’s Third Eye, six sparks and thus the child had six heads. When His Mother, Maa Parvati, took the six headed child and caressed Her Child and pressed the child on to Her chest, the six heads merged into one head, thus He is also called Shadanana or Shanmukha.

Now Murukan, the very word is a mantra. It encompasses the six Gods and Goddesses. If a person were to chant just Murukan, He would be calling out to the Trinity in all forms. This is how it works. MU signifies Mukundan…which is Lord Vishnu and Maa Laxmi resides in Lord Vishnu. Then comes RU…stands for Rudra or Rudran and Maa Shakti or Maa Parvati resides in Lord Shiv. The word KA signifies Brahma and Maa Saraswati sits or resides on the tongue of Lord Brahma. Thus, just chanting Murukan, one calls out to the six Gods and Goddesses but also calls out to Skanda and thus you have the spiritual number Seven, though Lord Skanda’s number is six.

 Remember we have six chakras, the seventh, which is the crown chakra is not considered to be part of the anatomy, but is a little above the crown of the head. Six chakras….six heads….six Gods and Goddesses….the seventh being Skanda, Himself.

Even His other name Saravanabhava, means accumulation of five elements and the sixth element being the presence of Shiv, from whose third eye the sparks came out to create the six headed Muruga(n). According to ancient scriptures, we have five elements…. land (Mother Earth), fire (Agni Dev), air (Vayu Dev), water (Mother Ganga) and Ether (Mother Parvati) and the sixth is Lord Shiv Himself. Thus, if one chants Saravanabhava, one calls out to all in charge of five elements, calls out to Lord Shiv but also calls out to the seventh element, a merger of the six, Lord Skanda.

Lord Kartekya, in all books is considered ever young, very beautiful, very good looking. In fact, His Name, Muruga(n) means The Beautiful One. He is all courageous. The meaning of Kartikeya means The Giver of Courage and Happiness though He doesn’t give boons like Santa Claus. One has to win His love and devotion. One has to work for His boons. One has to strive to break through the six chakras to reach the seventh. One has to go beyond darkness or at least try one’s level best to go beyond darkness to come into the Light. Always The Sun. Lord Kartikeya is called upon to take the individual from darkness into The Light. He shows the path to those truly seeking The Path and The Destination.

He is called Swaminatha and those in search of knowledge of the soul and all the worlds call upon Lord Kartikeya. He was Lord Shiva’s Guru. I mean come on, if Lord Shiva considers somebody as a Guru, that Guru was the Guru of all Gurus.  Thus those in search of true knowledge, true wisdom, true realization, call on Swaminatha, The Other Son.

He bestows courage to fight evil within and outside. He bestows knowledge of all the worlds. He stands by those in the fight against internal and external evil. He is the Commander in Chief of The Gods. Imagine having Him by your side during a battle or war. Him by your side and His Grace becoming your shield, it would take a very brave or an extremely daft person to be your enemy. Internal or external.

Lord Ganesha loves Him. To make Lord Kartikeya win over His to be bride, Valli, Lord Ganesha takes on the form of a very enraged elephant and Valli, though very courageous had one fear, that of an angry elephant and thus She comes into Lord Kartikeya’s arms.

The Brothers love Their Parents but Lord Kartikeya couldn’t see beyond His Parents, especially His Mother.

I cannot end this article without writing about the Sivan Malai, one the of most revered places of worship of Lord Muruga(n). Though Sivan Malai means The Mountain Of Shiva, the presiding Deity is our very own beautiful, handsome and courageous Muruga(n) who is said to contain the power of Lord Shiva with Maa Parvati, Lord Vishnu with Maa Laxmi, Lord Brahma with Maa Saraswati, Lord Ganesha and Lord Indra.

When Lord Hanuman was en-route to Lanka to meet Maa Sita and also per chance if opportunity arose to have a very strong worded conversation with Ravana, Lord Hanuman was asked by Sage Vyasa to go and pray at Sivan Malai where the presiding Deity as mentioned is Lord Kartikeya, the Commander Chief of The God’s Army. It is said that Lord Hanuman prayed and offered penance Here and was granted boons of great power to later on help Lord Rama destroy Ravana and His army.

Lord Hanuman is Lord Shiv Avatar. Lord Hanuman is asked to go and pray at Siva Malai to Lord Kartikeya, His own Son. Eons later once again His Son became His Guru.

During channeling I have seen how He comes through and creates miracles. He is the One who makes miracles take place. I have seen those who have gone and prayed at Subramanya come back to life and work and relationships with a bang. Those bankrupt get their heads above water. Legal cases where the judges have been bought over, somehow pass judgment in favour of The Truth. He reminds me of Archangel Michael, Raphael and Gabriel all together in One Union. The Warrior. The Healer. The Revealer.

It doesn’t matter if you are the worst sinner, if you truly get awakened of your weakness or your flaws, seek His help, He will make you a sage, as so many of those who have taken refuge in Him have realized. One of His greatest poets, Arunagirinathar led a life of debauchery and one day, realizing the waste of His purpose of life, in sheer grief of a life wasted, jumped off a mountain to be saved by Skanda and the greatest poems, thousands of verses, came through this man, who is now revered Himself. It doesn’t matter what you have done, as long as you have realized and want to move towards The Light, call out to Him. In His eyes, it is never too late.

He is in charge of The Cobra or the Snake World. The Kundalini when awakened is in the shape of The Hooded Cobra, thus He is the Hooded Cobra, the six chakras when awakened comes to the seventh. Those seeking inner beauty, perfection, enlightenment call out to Subramanya for the true awakening of His Mother’s Skakti. In the Star symbol of The Goddess, which looks like The Star of David, for many scholars and sages, the dot within the Star is Subramanya.

Yes, He requires complete surrender and strength to walk His path. He is for the mad folks who truly believe there is Light at the end of badly constructed tunnel. He is a Commander of those damned by the world but who refuse to give up and continue the fight and to be on the path. He is the One who will stands side by side, to take you from darkness into The Light. He will help you tear through the veil of duality or deceit and come out into the radiance of the Truth. He is Skanda, Muruga(n), Kartikeya. The Other Son.

As one sage told another….

Om Gam Ganapathaye Namaha!!

Om Skandaya Karthikeyaya Parvati Nandanayacha,

Mahadeva Kumaraya, Subrahmanyaya Tay Namaha.

Be blessed.