Kartikeya-Vrittanta
Kartikeya-Vrittanta — 10 chapters, 100 questions. From several texts and traditions.
Kartikeya is not one god but a meeting of two traditions — the ancient Tamil hill-god Murugan of the south (Sangam poetry, the vel, the rooster banner) and the northern Puranic war-god Skanda (son of the Krittikas, killer of Taraka). Both streams are given here separately and as equals; it neither says "he was always one god" nor "the north stole a Tamil god". Each chapter says which text it comes from. Where the texts collide — six days or seven, the vel from Agni/Indra or from Parvati, the many mothers, Surapadman versus Taraka — both sides are recorded and nothing is adjudicated. Where a thing rests only on later Tamil tradition or temple story, that is said plainly.
- Two streams — One god, two traditions — a northern war-god, and the most beloved deity in the south, who is older still
- Taraka's boon — A demon asked for a death that could never come — at the hands of a seven-day-old son of Shiva, when Shiva had neither wife nor son
- Kama and the wedding — The gods needed a son, so they sent Kama to break Shiva's trance — and Kama was burnt to ash
- Agni and Ganga — Shiva's seed was too fierce for any womb — Agni could not hold it, and neither could the Ganga
- Six Krittikas — Six sparks, six Krittikas — six stars in the sky — and from them one child with six faces
- The six-day-old general — At six days old he was made commander of the army of the gods
- The Taraka war — The impossible son now existed, and was exactly the age the boon had fixed
- The peacock and the rooster — The vel split Surapadman in two — one half became the peacock he rides, the other the rooster on his banner
- Valli and Devasena — One wife was the daughter of the king of the gods, the other of a hill hunter
- Tamil Kadavul — In the north Kartikeya's solo worship shrank hard; in the Tamil south Murugan is one of the great living gods
Questions about Kartikeya-Vrittanta
How is Kartikeya-Vrittanta divided here?
This retelling of Kartikeya-Vrittanta has 10 chapters: Two streams, Taraka's boon, Kama and the wedding, Agni and Ganga, Six Krittikas, The six-day-old general, The Taraka war, The peacock and the rooster, Valli and Devasena, Tamil Kadavul.
What is Kartikeya-Vrittanta about?
Almost forgotten in the north — perhaps the most beloved god in the south.
What is the source of this retelling?
From several texts and traditions.
Is there a quiz on Kartikeya-Vrittanta?
Yes. Each chapter ends with 10 questions, and behind every right answer there is a short story that explains it. In all, 100 questions.