Question about Skanda.

[Kalibhakta]

I know something of Lord Vishnu, and his followers. I know a lot of Lord Shiva and his followers. And of course I am most knowable on the Great Mother.

But I know nothing about Skanda. I know he is the god of war, and that he is a very popular Tamil god. Wikipedia is a dry source, and devotional websites assume you know something of him already.

Can somebody please tell me about him? Why would a devotee be attracted to him? Thank you very much!

 

[Aupmanyav]

That is a shame. Go through the similar threads at the bottom of the page. Vinayaka is a Murugan devotee, I too am. I dearly love the South Indian names of Lord Murugan.

 

[StarryNightshade]

Not a very helpful post, but I assume his followers are attracted to him in a way similar to Vaishnavas being attracted to Vishu. Shaivas to Shiva. And Shaktas to Devi.

I myself can't explain why I'm attracted to Lord Narasimha. There's just something about him. So, in a way, maybe there doesn't need to be a reason?

Being that he's a Murugan Bhakta, I think this would be a great question for @Vinayaka.

 

[Kalibhakta]

Oh of course, Starry. It seems...wrong to just rely on my prejudices and preconceptions to assume why somebody might be attracted to a god or a theology.

My uncle, a kind, loving man, became a Mormon. I asked him, because I have personal baggage on the issue, why.

"Because in Mormonism, god still talks to us."

I cannot say it fails to dawn on me the beauty of that reasoning, even though I do not share his view. So in my mind, it is valid.

I love Narasimha. He is the Vishnu avatar I relate to the most. A God who fights for his devotees against seemingly imposable odds is a God worthy of much respect!

 

[StarryNightshade]

Also, just so there is no confusion, when I said "not a very helpful post", I was referring to mine.

 

[Kalibhakta]

Also, just so there is no confusion, when I said "not a very helpful post", I was referring to mine.

Oh its fine, I was explaining what possessed me to ask. I admire Lord Shiva greatly, as I see him as the person most dear to Mother Kali. I do not worship him, but my heart sings whenever I think or read of him. If anything is dear to the Lord, therefor it dear to me. Lord Ganesha is outwardly the Lord of Wealth, but inwardly the gatekeeper to his father. I know Skanda is outwardly the God of War, but with all things of The Lord and Mother, the outward part is never the whole. Having read Aupmanyav's suggestion, Vinayaka said Lord Skanda is the lord of Yoga. This makes a lot of sense, given the "Unity-in-duality" that the Lord and Mother love.

 

[Vinayaka]

Mystically, Murugan sits on the manipura chakra, while Ganesha is on the muladara. The manipura is at the solar plexus, and is associated with will power. As a natural consequence, the bhakti toward Murugan often has will too. Devotees undertake vows, will walk to the temple, do the chudakarana as an adult, and more. It's very often an austere form of worship.

His shakti is harder to feel than Ganesha's and is the entry into tapas, not just sadhana. This is often represented by the vel, which he uses to pierce and cleanse the intellectual ego, into pure light.

So Ganesha(and Shiva) can seem really close, whereas Murugan can seen distant. However, once a mystical connection is established, it's rather powerful.

The demons that He slays in the metaphorical war are the inner demons of lust etc. Often portrayed as a renunciate, especially as Dandapani (or Palaniandavar) he is also the God of the Saiva renunciate.

Hope this helps. If you get the opportunity ever to go to a Murugan temple, I'd highly recommend it. The sannidhya, if you can feel it, is more electric.

Of course, this is all the Saiva POV. Many Hindus don't know who Murugan is, and wouldn't relate at all in this way.

 

[Kalibhakta]

Thank you, Vinayaka. That was enlightening. That makes perfect sense!