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Iconography in Hinduism
Decoding the Pictorial Script
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Kartikeya
Kartikeya: Commander-in-chief of the Gods
Kartikeya the son of Shiva and Parvati, the brother of Ganesha is the commander-in chief of the army of the Gods.
Kartikeya is known by various names some of these are:
Being a very young and virile his is ‘Kumāra’ or ‘Sanatkumāra’.
A forceful attacker in war, he is known as ‘Skanda’. ‘Skanda’ also means one who has accumulated the power of chastity.
He likes hold people (Brāhmaṇas) and is hence known as ‘Subrahmaṇya’.
He once broke down the Krauñca-parvata (a mountain) and earned the name Krauñcabhettā.
He exposed Brahmā’s ignorance of the Vedas and hence got the name Brahmā-Śāstā.
His other names are Guha meaning the secret one, Gāṅgeya i.e. son of Ganga and Svāmi-nātha the preceptor of his own father.
Interesting facts about Kartikeya
The sixth day of the lunar month (ṣaṣṭhī) is considered sacred to him.
His temples are usually found on hill-tops.
Resources
Harshananda, S. (1982). Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Chennai: Sri Ramakrishna Math.
Jagannathan, S. (1984). Hinduism: An Introduction. Bombay: Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd.
Mitchell, A. (1998). Hindu Gods and Goddesses. New Delhi: USB Publishers’ Distributors Ltd.
Parthasarathy, A. (2007). The Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals. Mumbai: A. Parthasarathy.
Varshney, D. (1990). Myth and Symbols in Hindu Mythology. Delhi: Ajanta Publications (India).
Wilkins, W. (1882). Hindu Mythology. New Delhi: Rupa. co.