Karttikeya

KARTTIKEYA

A son of Shiva


Karttikeya is the son of Shiva and Parvati. He was brought forth to destroy the three demon brothers that troubled the gods. His name means 'son of Krittika's' (six stars of the constellation Pleiades). The story tells how he came to have six faces.

Even as a boy, Karttikeya sets out on his mission.


He has encounters with a mountain, and the demons one after the other. They all consider him a small fry in the beginning but finally fall in the battles.

These events are described in a poem in Tamil, the ancient and still living language of the southernmost part of India.