Shri Shirdi Sai Speaks-4th May/ Shiv Puran-Lord Kartikeya

Posted: 03 May 2012 03:21 PM PDT

Om Sai Ram ! Om Namaha Shivaya!

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Since about more than a month we all have been graced with the blissful darshan of the sacred shivlings around the world. But all this seems a little incomplete to me without the knowledge of the holy Shiv Puran. So how about we all start reading this sacred book together..And hopefully before I head to Kailash- we all will be blessed with the wonderful stories which are related to our creator. However, " The Shiva Purana has twenty-four thousand shlokas which are divided into six samhitas or sections." But I will not be posting any of the shlokas in these mails. I will be posting the most simplest version of the Shiv Puran with the blissful pictures of various temples as we go along- , so that it is easily understood by all of us and can also be shared with our children and grandchildren.May Lord Shiva bless us all in this journey of going one step closer to His Lotus feet . And last but not the least, My Humble Pranams to this Holy book along with all the Gods and Godesses ..

I have a kind request to all of you who read these mails that if you ever get lucky and are able to visit any of the sacred temples in reality- Plz do offer my Humble Pranams at these temples and thank the lord on my behalf for making us all feel his presence and His leelas around us..

Sai bhakt,

Deepa H

Now, Lets start reading this very sacred Shiv Puran by Saying

Om Shree Ganeshaya Namaha

Incase You have missed the previous mail /chapter of Shiv Puran - Here is the link

http://debu7370.blogspot.com/search/label/Shiv%20Puran

Incase you have missed the previous mails of our sacred journey of paying respects to the shivlings around the world go to...
http://debu7370.blogspot.com/search/label/Shivlings%20around%20the%20world

Before we start reading the Shiv Puran, today -- Let me first tell you a little about Lord Kartikeya

Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati or Shakti, is known by many names Subramaniam, Sanmukha, Shadanana, Skanda and Guha. In the southern states of India, Kartikeya is a popular deity and is better known as Murugan.

He is an embodiment of perfection, a brave leader of god's forces, and a war god, who was created to destroy the demons, representing the negative tendencies in human beings.He is the most masculine and fierce of all the Gods. While Ganesh removes all obstacles, Skanda bestows all spiritual powers, particularly the power of knowledge.He is worshiped for all problems related to Mars, especially Mangala dosha or Kuja dosha.

Kartikeya's other name, Shadanana, which means 'one with six heads' corresponds to the five senses and the mind. The six heads also stand for his virtues enables him to see in all the directions - an important attribute that ensures that he counters all kinds blows that can hit him.

The war imagery and the six heads of Kartikeya indicates that if humans wish to lead themselves efficiently through the battle of life, they must always be alert lest they are shown the wrong path by crafty people with the six demonic vices: kaama (sex), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (passion), mada (ego) and matsarya (jealousy).

Kartikeya carries on one hand a spear and his other hand is always blessing devotees. His vehicle is a peacock, a pious bird that grips with its feet a serpent, which symbolizes the ego and desires of people. The peacock represents the destroyer of harmful habits and the conqueror of sensual desires. The symbolism of Kartikeya thus points to the ways and means of reaching perfection in life.

Shiv Puran

Lord Shiva and Parvati were blissfully enjoying their martial status, unaware of the eagerness with which the deities were awaiting the arrival of their progeny.

Tarakasur - the demon continued tormenting the deities. When their miseries became unbearable they went to lord Brahma to seek their help. All of them then went to lord Vishnu. They told him that even after passing of such a long duration of time, Parvati and Shiva had not yet become parents. They requested lord Vishnu to remind Shiva about the purpose behind his marriage. Initially lord Vishnu showed his disinclination to disturb Shiva's martial bliss, but when the deities insisted he went to Shiva accompanied by all of them. All of them eulogised Shiva and Parvati. The deities then requested Shiva to make his contribution in the destruction of Tarakasur. Shiva understood everything. Some drops of his semen fell down on the ground. One being insisted by the deities. Agni transformed his appearance in the form of a pigeon and pecked up those drops of semen. Right then Parvati arrived there and became extremely furious on seeing the semen going waste. She cursed the deities that their respective wives would remain issue less as the consequences of their mindless acts. Agni was having inflammation in his stomach because of the Shiva's semen. Lord Shiva advised him to transfer it into the womb of any noble woman. Agni followed the instruction and injected the semen into the body of six women through the pores of the hair on their body. Those women could not bear the extreme luster of the Shiva's semen. They went to Himachal and evacuated it. Even Himachal could not bear its extreme effulgence and immersed it into the flowing Ganga. River Ganga carried it with her current and established it amidst bushes of reed (Sarkanda). Instantaneously a beautiful child manifested from it. His birth made all the deities extremely joyous including Shiva and Parvati. It was the sixth day (bright half of the lunar month) of the hindu month of Margashirsha. He was Kartikeya.

Kartikeya

Sage Vishwamitra arrived at the spot where the child had manifested. On the repeated insistence of the child, Vishwamitra performed his purification rites and named him 'Guha'. The divine child blessed Vishwamitra and bestowed divine knowledge to him. He also blessed him to become famous as 'Brahmarshi'. Agnideva arrived there and gave a divine weapon named 'Shakti' to that child. Guha went to the Kroncha mountain and banged his weapon on it. The mountain could not bear the effect of the blow and started crumbling down. Innumerable demons living on that mountain came to kill him. But the child killed all of them by his weapon. When Indra heard about his bravery, he came along with other deities to fight him Indra assaulted Guha with his Vajra on the right side of his body, which resulted into the manifestation of a very powerful entity named 'Shakh'. Indra again assaulted him on the left side of his body, from which manifested an extremely powerful entity named 'Vishakh'. Indra assaulted Guha for the third time- this time his chest was the target. From this third blow of Indra manifested 'Naigam'. Guha accompanied by all the three powerful entities- Shakh, Vishakh and Naigam attacked Indra and his army, but they fled away. Six goddesses arrived on the scene. All of them tried to feed that small child out of affection. They started quarelling among themselves. Right then they were surprised to see the child appearing with six head. Now their problems were solved. Each of the goddesses fed their breast milk to the child. They took Guha with them and brought him up with great love and care. Guha later on became famous as Kartikeya.

Search for Kartikeya

One day, Parvati curiously asked Shiva about his semen which had fallen on the ground. Lord Shiva summoned the deities and asked them about it. The deities narrated the whole story. Both Shiva and Parvati were very pleased to know about Kartikeya. Lord Shiva then ordered his Ganas to bring Kartikeya from the possession of Kritika. The Ganas reached Badrikasharam where Kritika lived. When Kritika saw the Ganas she became very frightened but Kartikeya gave him solace. The Ganas requested Kartikeya to come along with him. Kartikeya happily took permission from his mothers and proceeded to meet Shiva and Parvati.

Kartikeya's Coronation

At the time or Kartikeya's departure, the mothers had become very emotional. Kartikeya consoled them. He then boarded the beautiful chariot which had been sent by Parvati and proceeded towards Kailash mountain. All the deities including Shiva were eagerly awaiting his arrival. When Kartikeya reached Kailash mountain, he was given a royal reception. The whole atmosphere was filled up with joy. Everybody was celebrating. Each of the deities presented him their respective weapons to him. Lord Shiva coronated him as the king with the help of the brahmin. This way he had now become the lord of Kailashpuri.

During my research about the birth of Lord Shiva's son - Kartikeya- I also came across one more legend..

After their marriage, Lord Shiva and Parvati lived happily at Mt. Gandhamadana. Once, while they were enjoying an intimate moment, a small quantity of Shiva's vital fluid fell on the ground. Tremendous amount of heat began emanating from it and it threatened to engulf the entire world in flames. Acting on the advice of Brahma and Vishnu, Agni went there in the guise of a mendicant and devoured the vital fluid.

Parvati felt insulted. She cursed Agni saying, "From this day thou shall be omnivorous and eat unclean things. The vital fluid that you have devoured shall cause an unbearable inflammation on your body." (Note: See this story for an alternate curse for why Agni became omnivorous.)

Instantly, Agni got unbearable inflammation on his body. He beseeched Lord Shiva for a way to end his agony. Lord Shiva said, "You will be relieved of this affliction when you transfer my vital fluid to the womb of a woman."

Agni retired to a desolate place, waiting for a suitable woman to arrive. He beheld the six Kritikas, all shivering with cold who arrived there. He then transfered Shiva's vital fluid to their wombs. They became pregnant. When their husbands came to know of this, they cursed the six women, to be turned into stars in a constellation in the sky. Before the transformation, the Kritikas aborted their fetuses on the Himalaya mountains. The holy river Ganga carried the fetuses to a secluded place, called the Sara Vana, which was covered with reeds. After some time, Lord Kartikeya (also called Skanda) manifested from those reeds. Since he was born to six mothers, he had six heads. Since he was born in the Sara Vana, he is also known as Saravana.

[Note: The Six Kritikas are the stars of the constellation pleiades. In other texts, Agni carries the six sparks that fell from the third eye of Shiva, not his vital fluid. The sparks are deposited in a pond in the Sara Vana, where a six babies are born on a lotus each. The Krittikas who came there, nursed the babies. When Parvati and Shiva came there, Parvati took all the babies in her arms and made them into one, albeit with six heads.]

The Devas rejoiced at the birth of this child. Lord Shiva and Parvati went to the place where the child was born. Parvati prayed to Shiva that the child may know her and none other as his mother. Shiva granted her this boon.

Surprisingly, I came across one more story so I decided to share it all with you..

The Devas manage to get Shiva married to Parvati (who was Dakshayani, reborn), by making Manmatha (also known as Kama), the God of love awaken him from his penance, but Manmatha incurred the Lord's wrath indicated by the opening his third eye - "Netri Kann", and being destroyed and resurrected. Shiva hands over his effulgence of the third eye used to destroy Manmatha to Agni, as he alone is capable of handling it until it becomes the desired offspring. But even Agni, tortured by its heat, hands it over to Ganga who in turn deposits it in a lake in a forest of reeds (sharavanam). The Goddess Parvati - Consort of Lord Shiva assumed the form of this Water body as she alone is capable of bearing the "Tejas" of Lord Shiva. The child is finally born in this forest (vana) with six faces-eesanam, sathpurusham, vamadevam, agoram, sathyojatham and adhomugam. He is first spotted and cared for by six women representing the Pleiades - Kritika in Sanskrit. He thus gets named Karthikeya.

Saburi (patience) ferries you across to the distant goal.

Quote of BABA:

Whenever you undertake to do something, do it thoroughly or not at all.

किसे अपनी व्यथा बताऊँ मैं,
एक तुम ही तो हो साईं,
जिसे दिल का हाल सुनाऊं मैं,
जीवन मैं सब कुछ देखा
तुम जैसा फकीर ना देखा
जो सब कुछ लुटा कर कहता है
मेरे बच्चे कुछ और लाऊं मैं,
बाबा यह सब किसको बताऊँ मैं,
अपने मन की व्यथा किसे समझाऊं मैं,
लोग कहते हैं पगला हूँ दीवाना हूँ मैं,
बाबा की मस्ती का मस्ताना हूँ मैं,
बाबा की धुनी का परवाना हूँ मैं ||
!! सबका मालिक एक !!