He represents a person of perfection. He is the war God, the Hindu equivalent of Mars and Ares. In one hand he carries a spear called "sakti" which symbolizes the destruction of negative tendencies in humans. With his other hand he always blesses devotees. He was created by all the Gods to lead the heavenly hosts and destroy the demons. He is the most masculine and fierce of all the Gods. He is also fire, Agni, and is very fiery in nature. While Ganesha removes all obstacles, Kartikeya bestows all spiritual powers, particularly the power of knowledge.

Lord Kartikeya's vehicle is a peacock which is capable of destroying harmful serpents (symbolizing harmful ego and bad desires of people).

There are several myths about the birth of Kartikeya as the son of Shiva.

Kartikeya, represented sometimes with only one face, is generally known as having six faces; is yellow-skinned; rides on a peacock, the killer of serpents; holds in his right hand an arrow and in his left a bow. He is widely known as the god of war

Kartikeya, the second son of Lord Shiva, and Goddess Parvati is also known as Subramaniam, Skanda, Guha, Shadannana or Sanmukha (because he has six faces).

Kartikeya has several names. As he was breast-fed by six KRITTIKA deities, he is called 'KARTIKEYA'. Since he has six faces, he is 'SHANMUKHA'. Because of his omniscience, he is 'SUBRAMANYA'. As he gathered a huge army to kill the demons,he is also called 'MAHASENA'. Since he captained the army of the gods in the fight with the Rakshasas, he was given the title of 'SENANI' or 'Commander'. Since he was born out of the life-source that slipped (Skanna) from Shiva, he is named 'SKANDA'. With the peacock as his mode of transport, he is 'SHIKHIVAHANA'. And he is always a young boy he is 'KUMARA'. This term also means that he is one who kills evil persons. And he is more handsome than Manmatha, the God of Love. He is worshipped as 'GUHA'too, since he protects his devotees from enemies. He is also known as AGNIBHOO, TARAKJEET and SHAKTI DHURU.

In the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics this god is described as the son of Shiva or Rudra. Sometimes his motherhood is prescribed to Ganga (hence GANGAPUTRA), and sometimes to goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva. In some legends he is said to have born without the intervention of a woman through fire (hence the name AGNIBHU). This god is depicted sitting around the Shiva-Linga together with Nandi, the mount of Shiva.

But the demon god Taraka's wickedness did not subside. He was pround that there was none to restrain him. The gods continued to be troubled by him, and countinued to be in fear. all the gods under the leadership of Indra (god of the wind), went to the Creator (Lord Brahma)to rid them off this monster. Brahma told them, "There is only way in which you can escaped the trouble of Taraka. Only the son of Shiva can kill him. So Shiva must marry Parvati. You must so manage that Shiva sees Parvati and marries her." Shiva, having lost Sati, was lost in deep meditation. The god of love, named KAMA, was asked to break Shiva's penance.

Kama Dev was highly flattered by all gods and he boasted that he could conquer the mind of Shiva within no time. Kama consulted his wife Rati, who reproved him for this temerity but consented to accompany her husband and help him in disturbing Shiva's meditation. They set off together with Vasanta (god of spring) to Himalayas. Kama Dev pulled an arrow and shot at Shiva. The great Lord, smitten thus, awoke from meditation and shouted who had dared to interrupt his meditation. Looking towards south he spotted Kama Dev. In anger Shiva opened his third eye in the center of his forehead and thus reduced Kama to ashes. Taking pity and responding to the pleas of his widow, Rati, Lord Shiva restored her husband but only as a mental image, representing true love and affection and not just physical lust. Hence the other name of Kama Dev is ANANGA (the bodiless). Aroused thus from his penance Shiva accepted Parvati as his wife. Once Shiva's passions were aroused none could bear his seed's energy Agni alone could bear it by taking the seed into its mouth and thereafter transferring this seed to Ganga. The god Kartikeya so born is therefore called, GANG-JA or AGNI-BHU. The child so conceived is also called KUMARA forever young and chaste.

http://www.webonautics.com/mythology/kartikeya4.html The Birth of Kartikeya The gods succeeded in the difficult task. They so managed that Shiva set his eyes upon Parvati and was pleased with the penance and devotion of Parvati. He married her and Parvati gave birth to a son.

One story says that the fire which came out from Shiva destroyed LOVE was so intolerable that Agni, the fire god even could not bear this fire. The fire was then transported by the river Ganga into the Saravana forest into a pool Saravana Poigai. There from the sparks of the fire was born six children. The children were taken care of by six Krittika, the stars that make up the Pleiades. The goddess Pavati united the six babies into one with six faces, and named Kartikeya.

Another myth connected with his birth states that gods appealed to Shiva for help in repelling the attack of the demons. Shiva responded and assumed six faces each with a central eye from which six sparks sprang forward. These sparks fell into a lake situated some fifty miles northwest of Madras. These sparks were transformed into six infants, nursed by the six mothers who comprise the Pleiades, the six Krittikas. Shiva's wife Parvati took the six infants into her arms. She hugged them affectionately but in the process squeezed the six children so strongly that they turned into one single body but with six heads. Reared by the six Pleiades (Krittikas), he is mostly called by the name of Kartikeya.
Kartikeya, being the son of Shiva, did not take long to become strong and powerful. His body developed rugged strength in a few days. All knowledge and the power of expression came to him soon. Everyone who saw him felt a thrill and delight.

Shiva made Kartikeye sit on a throne studded with gems, and anointed him with the sacred waters of holy rivers and declared him the commander of the army of gods. Different deities and gods made gifts of various powerful weapons and mystic powers. The Sun God presented him with a chariot which had the speed of thought. The peacock became his symbol which he rides.

The birth of Kartikeya has many legendary stories. The Puranas narrates a slightly different story of Karthikeya. In the Skanda Purana it is narrated taht Shiva first married Sati the daugher of Daksha. Daksha never liked Shiva. He did not like Shiva as he was the lord of destruciton and detachment, begged for food, danced in a graveyard ceremony. Sati could not take th einsult of her husband and immolates herself. The Yajna is destroyed although proteced by all the other Gods and the rishis. Sati was reborn as Parvati, daughter of Mountain Himavat and later married to Lord Shiva.

Surapadman devastated the earth and tortured the people living on earth. It was realized by the gods taht onlythe son born of Shiva could lead the gods to victory over Surapadman and the demon army. They planne Kamadeva, the god of love to shoot a flower arrow at Shiva, as he sat in meditation, so that he fell in love with Pavati. As Kamadeva intended to throw his arrow, then suddenly Shiva opened his third eye and was infuriated. At that moment he destroyed Kamadeva with fire and turned him to ashes.

Kartikeya became the chief of the other demi-gods then guided the Devas and won the combat with the demons. Kartikeya fought at six places against the asuras and these places are together known as Arupadai Veedu. Arupedai Veedu means six battle fields of the God. ThIn the Mahabharata Karthikeya is protrayed. Karthikey a is said to have been born from Angni and Svaha. Svaha disguised hereself as the sith of the seven wives of the Saptarsrishi. The actual wives then became the Pleiades. To kill the Asura Mahish, Karthike ya was born. Indra attacks Karthikeya becausehe thinks that Karthikeya is more powerful then him. Lord Shiva interferes and makes arthikeya the leader of the army of Devas, Karthikeya waswas married to Devasena, Indra's daughter. The Vedas also relates the story of Karthikeya. In the Atharva Veda Karthikey a is described as "Agnibhuh", the son of Agni, the fire god. He is also said as the son of Ruda and the ninth form of Agni.

Kartikeya is represented as god mounting on his Vahana, the Peacock and carries the weapon the Vel. He is sometimes depicted with many weapons including a sword, a spke, a scepter, a discus and a bow although more u sually he is depicted wielding a spear. This signifies Kartikeya's purification of human ills. His peacock mount symbolizes his destruction of the ego. The six heads of Kartikeya is represented as the six Siddhis granted upon gogis over the course of their spiritual development. In prehistoric ages in India, Kartikeya was regarded as the patron diety of thieves. In the Puranas it is said that Kartikeya had dug through the Kraucha Mountain to kill the demon Taraka and his brothers. Kartike ya helped Shiva fight the newborn Ganesha, the other son of Shiva. In the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, he is respresented as theelder son of Shiva dna Ganesha as the younger. In South India, it is believed that he is the younger brother of the two.

Kartikeya is believed to be a handsome bachelor. Other stories say taht he had two wives, Valli and Devayani.

http://www.indianetzone.com/33/kartikeya_hindu_god_war.htm

Shiva and Parvati were married and the demi-Gods eagerly awaited their son. However Shiva and Parvati were so engrossed in their amorous activities that they had no time for the travails of the world. Ultimately the demi-Gods had to disturb Shiva and remind him of his marital duties. Shiva gave his seed to Agni and went back to Parvati. Agni now had to implant the seed in a womb. He went near a river where the wives of the seven sages were bathing. Six of them went to the fire to warm themselves and were impregnated. On realizing their predicament they left the seed in the form of an embryo in the Himalayas. The Himalayas, unable to bear the heat of the embryo, placed it in the river Ganga. There Kartikeya was born. Some versions state that the six women left six embryos and six babies were born. Parvati embraced all six of them, thereby fusing the bodies to one but leaving it with six heads.

Taraka had been able to grow so powerful because he had worshipped Lord Brahma to such an extent that Brahma promised Taraka would became more powerful than all the gods. Fearing his power, the gods went to Shiva, imploring him to help them against this terrible threat. Shiva and create a champion. Thus Kartikeya was born. A huge army of the gods was formed under the command of Kartikeya and they marched off to eliminate Taraka. Taraka heard the war cries of the aremy of gods and saw a huge army marching on him with elephants, chariots, calvalry and infantry.

Taraka knew it was the son of Shiva coming to confront him and remembered the promise he extracted from Brahma and he was shaken. The Gods and the Demons went to war with their spears and swords, bows and arrows, clubs, axes and rope-slings. The armys fought at close quarters and there was a terrific battle. It seemed to be an unending fight between equals. Brahma was watching the terrible fight and seeing the defeat and distress of the gods, he told Kartikeya, "O son of Shiva, Taraka cannot be killed by any but you. You must at once dispatch him"

Kartikeye with Henamen, The Monkey King, go to battle against Taraka

Taraka attacks Kartikeye to control the heavens

Kartikeya marched on Taraka who, when seeing the boy, said, "You cowards! You have brought this tender boy to face me. Are you not ashamed?" He then turned to Kartikeya and said, "look here boy, you are still so young. If you want the pleasure of a fight, get it from your friends in a game or by wrestling. Go back and send your father to fight me."

(This is now sounding like the story of David and Galieth isn't it?)

The fight began and the air was stilled, the sun became dull and the earth had tremors. Kartikeye lifted his trident and hit Taraka on the chest. Blood spread out like a stream with the demon's chest split open. The gods regained their courage and attacked the demons, many of whom were killed, some fled and others, begged to be spared.

References:
Kartikeya
Kartikeya, God of War
Kartikeya

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