Kartikeya nodded, happy to discern the way forward. ‘I will follow your counsel, wise one,’ he replied. ‘I will establish shrines to Maheshwara and pray to him. But instead of staying on these lofty heights, separated from the people with whom I was happiest, I will return to earth and perform my worship there.’
When he returned to Devasena and told her what he intended to do, she held him close and whispered in his ear. ‘Let me come with you to earth,’ she said. ‘I will be your partner on earth as I am in heaven.’
But Skanda would not agree. ‘I must lead an ascetic life and shed the comforts that I have become used to,’ he said. ‘How can I turn my mind to dhyana when the most beautiful goddess resides with me? Even if I can manage to do this, who will safeguard you when my eyes are turned inward in tapasya? Allow me to go alone so that I can commune with my soul, my precious. Stay here in heaven, blessing your devotees and healing their suffering. I will return to you once my heart is light again.’
Tears ran down his bride’s cheeks as she protested. ‘We have not been apart even for a day since our marriage. How will I survive your absence? Each day will be misery, each night a curse.’
He embraced her, wiped her tears, but continued with his preparations to leave. He took his parents’ blessings for the success of his quest. Devasena wept, wondering when he would return. Hitherto unspoken fears swamped her mind.
‘What if you were to meet a beautiful girl on earth? Someone who is lovelier than I am? What if you marry her and desert me?’ she murmured. ‘I would die of a broken heart, my beloved.’
‘Am I like Ganesha, who married all three of Brahma’s daughters?’ he scoffed, trying to lighten her spirits. ‘How could you think that I would forget you?’ He reassured her with words of love and promises to return.
Then he left his divine bride to journey to earth, bearing three pure lingas created by Vishvakarma. One he installed in the place where he had taken the vow to slay Taraka, the second where Shakti had abandoned the asura, and the third where his foe had been killed. These sacred places came to be known as Pratigyeshwar, Kapaleshwar and Kumareshwar, and here Shiva’s devotees worshipped him in order to be freed from their sins. Kartikeya sprinkled holy water on the Shivalinga and prayed to Lord Kapaleshwara: ‘May my offerings of sesame seeds reach Taraka, the descendant of Sage Kashyapa. May I be absolved of the sin of killing him.’
Next, he needed to purge himself of his guilt at having imprisoned the Creator. Since I thought I was greater than the highest of gods, let me now become the lowest of the lowest, he resolved. He transformed himself into a snake, for it crawled abjectly on the earth and lived in dark holes. He began his penance in a quiet place in the southern regions. But his solitude was soon disturbed by Vasuki, his serpent friend from Kailasa. ‘Garuda has begun a spree of killing and threatens to obliterate our species!’ he cried out. ‘He buffets us with his mighty wings and tears us apart with his sharp claws and beak. He is too swift for us to attack him with our fangs. Save us, Kartikeya, we beseech you. Stop Vishnu’s mount before he kills us all.’
Kartikeya, still in his serpent form, prayed to Vishnu. ‘O brilliant one! You dwell on the Sea of Milk that appears like a cosmic lotus. The shining waves form a thousand petals, Sesha, its stem, and the universe, its lake. Answer my prayer, O Narayana. Bless your devotee with your infinite mercy.’
Vishnu came to him as Narasimha, his man-lion avatar. He roared down to earth, his chakra ready to kill whoever tormented his devotee. His form was huge and brilliant like crores of radiant suns. He was fearsome, evoking terror with his mace, his teeth and claws. His dreadful mane danced wildly in the storm caused by his arrival. On his chest shone ornaments studded with fiery rubies. Fierce attendants came with him, chanting, ‘Burn, kill, cut open the hearts of demons. All hail Narasimha, the protector against evil planets, poison and foes!’
Shiva’s son extolled the great god who had come in answer to his call. ‘O killer of Hiranyakashipu! You guard the earth, slay the demons, churn the ocean and lift the mountain. Save the lowly serpents from their assailant!’ he pleaded.
‘Bring the demon before me so that I can drink his blood!’ roared the god, setting the hills trembling. ‘Where is he?’
Then, before his immense form came the mighty bird, Gaganeshwara, lord of the skies. ‘Forgive me, great Narayana!’ said Garuda, bowing his splendid head. ‘Do you not see that it is your own servant, your own Garuda who stands before you? Reduce your fury, O Narasimha! What have I done to offend you, O god?’
Narasimha roared again, rising on two legs. The serpents gathered there scurried for cover. Would Vishnu attack his faithful bird that carried him whenever he set out to quell his enemies? Would he respond to Kartikeya’s plea or that of his beloved companion? Gradually, the man-lion avatar calmed down. He looked piercingly at the hungry bird that had attacked his natural prey. He then directed Garuda to hunt elsewhere, on an island infested with snakes. Garuda bowed and hurried to obey. Seeing his huge form vanish in the distance, Kartikeya and the serpents offered obeisance to Vishnu. ‘Remain in our midst and guard us from our enemies,’ they prayed.
Narasimha then merged with Kartikeya who was in the form of a seven-hooded serpent. ‘Our devotees will worship both of us together here,’ he said. From then on, the two gods blessed devotees in a single form, with Subrahmanya facing east and Narasimha west.
Sage Agastya who had come to the south at the time of Shiva’s marriage to Parvati, came there to worship the two gods. Kartikeya resumed his natural form in order to welcome the rishi. He delved deeper into the scriptures and the laws of dharma with the sage. Astounded by his lofty thoughts and ability to control his senses, the sage called him Yogishwara. He revealed to his followers the significance of Skanda’s form. ‘Five of his faces signify the five elements, while the sixth represents the Supreme,’ he said. ‘They indicate the six sparks from which he was born, and also the six sparks of the kundalini shakti that men must raise upward so as to attain enlightenment. In fact, his serpent form indicates the kundalini that lies coiled like a snake at the base of the spine. At a time when the other gods have returned to heaven, Shiva’s son has come to earth to lead us to a higher state.’
Under Agastya’s tutelage, Skanda lost much of his anger and turned his energies inward in order to find peace. His hatred of war increased as he realized that even a thousand-year war cannot change the world. He washed his sword in the waters of a river flowing nearby. The river, rendered sacred by his touch, came to be called Kumaradhara, while the mountain where he sat in meditation became known as Kumara Parvata. The place resonated with divine energy, with its misty peaks and lush green forests. Devotees thronged to him there, bringing offerings of fruit, milk and jaggery, and prayed for wealth, position, knowledge and pleasure.
While Kartikeya attained mastery over his mind and soul, evil spread its tendrils rapidly over the earth. The insidious creepers transformed into trees that covered vast open spaces, rising upwards even from barren rocks. Under their baneful influence, people became afflicted by strange diseases of the body and mind.
In Mahendrapuri, where Surapadma raged at his brother’s death, one of his ministers came to him and sought permission to speak. Knowing that he was wise and loyal, Surapadma nodded consent.
‘Jagadbhaya!’ said the minister, for Surapadma was the terror of the universe. ‘Your power and vigour are unrivalled in the three realms. No one, not even the Trimurti, can withstand your might. But this humble servant of yours seeks answers to a few questions before you set out to battle. How is it that the devas suddenly plucked up the courage to attack your brother? What are the powers of this lad that made him immune to Taraka? Let us discover his secret powers before we attack, O king.’
Surapadma paced up and down, rage and prudence battling within him. The courtiers and the war chiefs watched nervously. Then he said, ‘Summon the spies. Task them with finding out everything they can about this new senapati. We will wait for th
em to bring us news before mounting our attack.’
And so it was decreed. Sura waited restlessly for the spies to return, tormented as he was by dark dreams. He tried to keep these visions away by drinking strong liquor and always having the dancers around him. But when he finally fell asleep, he had nightmares of pishachas drinking the blood of his people. They roamed around, chortling in glee, picking out pieces of asura flesh to feast on. A pishachi asked her husband for the head of a pretty child while another wore a woman’s shapely arm like an earring. In turn, they brought their husbands the hearts of the fallen, still warm and pulsing.
The Soul Stealer woke up in a rage and ordered all the prisoners in their dungeons be put to the sword. The cries of the dying calmed his mind and he told himself that these visions were tricks played by the gods.
A pathway of light opened up in the sky. Down the starry corridor came Vishnu, to awaken Kartikeya from his ascetic isolation. With him came Narada, who often appeared on earth to set destiny in motion. Kartikeya bowed to Vishnu and to the devarishi.
‘Beloved Kartikeya,’ said Vishnu, ‘your lustre, born of your tapasya, rivals the light of the sun. But now the time has come for you to prepare yourself for a great task, one that seems near impossible, even for someone with your gifts. The blessings of the Trimurti are with you but you also need to unite your powers with those of your Shaktis. You must make my boon to my daughter come true. After that, you must focus your energies to bring down an indomitable enemy.’ He vanished then, before Skanda could ask him anything further.
The young warrior turned to the rishi, seeking answers. ‘Great Vishnu seems to doubt my capabilities, Narada,’ he said. ‘Is the task so onerous that even his blessings cannot help me succeed?’
Narada’s usual smile was missing as he answered Kartikeya. ‘The future is hidden, even from me,’ he said. ‘I can only surmise that your success will depend, not on the gods, but on your own powers and determination.’
Skanda gazed intently at the sage, trying to understand his cryptic words. Then he asked him, ‘What is the boon that Narayana speaks of?’
‘That question is easier to answer,’ smiled Narada. ‘The story begins at the time you fought so bravely against Indra and the devas on Svetagiri. Vishnu was moved to tears by your divine form and valour and his rapture resulted in the birth of two beautiful maidens. They were imbued with his love for you and prayed to him seeking a boon. “Let us be married to Shiva’s son, who rivals Kama in splendour,” they said. “Your devotion will bear fruit at the appropriate time, my daughters,” he blessed them. Vishnu’s first daughter was later born in heaven as Devasena and the second on earth as Valli. You have already married Devasena and must now seek out Valli, who lives in the south with her hunter tribe.’
‘But I cannot marry another woman when I have sworn eternal love to Devasena,’ Kartikeya protested. ‘Further, I promised her that I would not marry anyone on earth.’
‘I do not ask you to spurn her love, or break your promise!’ said Narada. ‘Do you remember your exact words to Indra’s daughter? You said that you would never marry anyone born to a mortal woman.’
‘What do you mean, Devarishi? Pray do not speak in riddles!’ he replied.
‘Valli was not born of a mortal woman, you see! She was born of a deer! Hence you will not be breaking your promise,’ laughed Narada. ‘Let me tell you how this came about. Kanva Rishi once travelled to Vaikunta to worship Vishnu and Lakshmi. But the two were engrossed in each other and failed to notice his arrival. Angered at this apparent insult, Kanva cursed them to be born on earth as a sage and a deer. The divine couple earnestly begged his forgiveness, saying that they had not intended to slight him. Realizing that he had cursed them in haste, Kanva promised that they would return to Vaikunta when Shiva’s son came to earth to marry their daughter. And so it happened. Vishnu, born as Sage Sivamuni, laid eyes on an exquisite deer in the forest where he was meditating. His heart filled with an inexplicable passion. The gazelle too was enraptured by him. And from this love was born a beautiful human child. The deer, agitated to find that the child was so different from her kind, abandoned her in a hollow in the ground. A tribal chieftain found the girl and brought her up as his own. When you came down to earth, Vishnu and Lakshmi were relieved of the curse and returned to heaven. Now you must go to Valli and make her your wife.’
‘However beautiful she may be or whatever promise Vishnu may have made, how can I marry her when I already have a wife?’ asked Kartikeya.
‘You need not turn your back on your bride in heaven when you marry the one on earth. It is imperative that you honour Vishnu’s blessing and Valli’s own vow that she will marry no one other than Muruga.’
‘Muruga?’ he repeated in surprise.
‘Caught up as you were in your tapasya, you have not realized that the people of the south worship you as Muruga, a name signifying beauty, youth, fragrance and festivity, the very qualities that endear you to your devotees.’
‘But why does this Valli wish to marry someone she has never seen?’ asked Kartikeya, his curiosity piqued.
‘A wandering storyteller captivated her with tales of your birth, your valour and your divinity and she resolved to marry you and no other. She has waited for you a long time, Skanda. Is it not time to fulfil her yearning? You too desired to return to the innocence of your early days. You wished to relive the simple pleasures, the music and revelry, surrounding yourself once more with the love of earthly beings. Where better can you do this than with a simple girl living in the mountains? Her fate is entwined with yours and will determine your ability to carry out the task that Vishnu spoke of.’
Kartikeya looked attentively at the rishi, waiting for him to continue. ‘Devasena and Valli represent Kriya Shakti and Iccha Shakti, the power of action and will,’ said Narada. ‘When you unite with them, your Jnana Shakti will expand to its fullest and enable you to discern the purpose of your life. Do you not already feel a fierce pull towards the south, to the land where Valli stands guard over her father’s millet fields? Do you not yearn for a glimpse of the beautiful girl who will make you complete?’
Skanda paused to think. He had to bear in mind that it would be unjust to marry one sister and spurn the other when they had both been blessed by Vishnu.
‘Devasena will understand your decision when you explain that she and Valli were sisters, born again to attain the fruits of their tapasya,’ said Narada. Knowing that he had done all he could to convince Kartikeya, the rishi left for Vaikunta to worship the lord.
Skanda, or Muruga as he was called in these regions, gave serious thought to all that he had been told. He then resolved to follow the call of his quickening heart. He travelled to the mountainous region where Valli lived, known as Valli Malai after the radiant daughter of the chieftain Nambi. The tribal women had named the girl Valli or creeper because they had discovered her while digging up creepers that yielded sweet potatoes. The hills were verdant, with silvery waterfalls and lush forests of bamboo and sandalwood. There were many trees laden with jackfruit, plantains and coconuts. Kartikeya laughed joyously when he spotted monkeys swinging on the trees, reminding him of Ulluck. He saw lions, bears and peacocks and felt a deep joy rise from within. He wandered through the bamboo thickets that were green as parrots’ wings, and trees that bore marks of passing elephant herds. He was at home in this mountain land, with its dark caves and rocky cliffs, though it was sunny, unlike the snowy peaks where he had frolicked with the goats and the garudi.
Then he saw the girl, sitting on an elevated platform, guarding her father’s millet field from parrots and mynahs. He recognized her at once as his Valli by the wild thrumming of his heart. Her waist was narrow, setting off her lush breasts and shapely hips. Devasena’s skin was the cream of the champaka, but Valli’s was the purple of the wild flowers blooming in the forest. The mountain’s daughter had midnight hair that tumbled to her waist like a torrent; her eyes sparkled as they darted this way and that. A parrot c
ame to sit on her shoulder and peck at her cherry lips. Muruga almost swooned with desire and envy of the parrot’s good fortune. He had to go nearer to his Valli; he had to gaze upon her beauty from close quarters. Muruga took the guise of a handsome hunter and went before her. ‘Beautiful one, why are you here all alone?’ he asked her. ‘Climb down so that I can feast my eyes on your beauty.’
Taken aback by his sudden appearance and his impudence, Valli looked closely at him, taking in his majestic form and his dancing eyes. She saw the spear and the bow he carried, and the garland of glory lilies that adorned his broad chest.
Her silence did not seem to deter him. ‘What is your name, sweet one?’ he asked her. She did not deign to answer but looked scornfully down at him. Had her father not warned her against smooth-talking strangers? ‘Your face glows like a pearl,’ he said next, his voice a caress. ‘Your skin gleams like flawless gold. Come down to me, my love. Let us fly to magical lands far away!’
‘Do you know who you are talking to?’ she retorted, her eyes flashing. ‘I am Valli, daughter of Nambi, the chieftain of these parts. And I have given my heart to Muruga, the one who is blessed with six faces and twelve arms, and is the son of Devi Parvati.’
The newcomer sprang up lightly onto the platform to stand beside her. ‘Where is your lover then? Does he hide in the forest while you stand here all alone?’ he scoffed. ‘Call him now so that I can look upon his strange form and laugh!’
She retreated from him and climbed down to the ground. ‘I have not seen him yet, but my heart is set on him,’ she said. ‘Run away now, stranger, for I hear my father’s voice. He and his men will punish you if they hear you speaking to me so boldly.’
Muruga heard the voices too and sprang down in a trice. He transformed himself into a beautiful rosewood tree, complete with winged seeds and yellow flowers. Valli’s father came before them and gazed in surprise at the big tree. Where had it come from? He had not seen it in his field before. Was it a demon in disguise? Such a sinister appearance could bode no good. Nambi called to his men, each one strong as a small hill, and said, ‘Cut down this tree which has appeared suddenly on my field. I fear that it may be the abode of evil spirits!’ His men drew out their axes and sickles and rushed forward.
Kartikeya and His Battle with the Soul Stealer Page 14