Skanda – Applied Indology

Skanda is the embodiment of highest knowledge, Jnanaswarupa. His other names are Kumaraswamy, Shadanana, Kartikeya, Saravana, Muruga, Subramanya, Thagappan Swamy, Shanmukha, Kartikeya, Senani, Mahasena, Guha and Gangeya. Kandhan is the Tamil Root word that was borrowed in to Sanskrit as Skanda. Kandhan is the word that got derived from root word Kandham.

Kandham means Pillar (obelisk/Phallus) , Fragrance , Indhriyam , Atom. A Beet variety Kandhan represents Fertility. Kandhan refers to his form of Fire /Light. Skanda / Kandhan is a fertility god. The 6 faced star of Murugan gives the diagrammatic representation of fertility. (ie combination of Avudaiyar and Shiva Linga (Yin Yang).

This is the Secret of Pranava Thathuvam (Law of creation) for which Murugan was called as Thagappan Swamy.

When the five elements governed by Lord Shiva (Pancha Mahabhoota – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether) united with Shakti (Pure Consciousness), Lord Skanda was born. Shiva is called Panchaanana – Lord with five heads. These five heads represent the five elements in Nature. When these five elements united with the sixth; Chaitanya Shakti (Pure Consciousness), they gave birth to the Shadaanana (six headed), also called Lord Skanda. This can understood in terms of the Kundalini Shakti (the primordial, dormant yet potent energy said to be present in a coiled form at the base of the spine).

We have seven chakras (energy centers) within us. When the energy surges through the six chakras and stabilizes at the sixth chakra – the Ajna chakra (present in the middle of the eyebrows), it blossoms as Lord Skanda (symbolism of the Guru Tattva -Principle). The Ajna chakra is the place of the Guru Tattva. It is where the Guru Tattva blossoms and manifests itself. And that Guru Tattva itself is considered as Skanda Tattva.

There is a story about Lord Skanda from the Puranas.

When Skanda was a young child, His father, Lord Shiva asked him to go and study and receive education from Lord Brahma. So Kartikeya went to Lord Brahma and asked him, ‘Please tell me the meaning of Om.’ Lord Brahma said, ‘First learn the alphabets. You are directly asking for the meaning of Omkara.’ Skanda said, ‘No, I want to know the highest knowledge first – Om.’ Skanda said to Lord Brahma, ‘You do not know the meaning of Om, how will you teach me? I will not study under you.’

Skanda was not satisfied, but Lord Brahma felt that being a little boy, He was probably not able to comprehend the meaning of his explanation of the intrinsic truth most difficult to understand even by the most advanced divine beings.

Sensing the vanity in Lord Brahma, little Murugan declared that Brahma was unfit to carry on with his ordained duty of creation and put him behind bars. Skanda made Brahmadeva to contemplate and find the true meaning all by Himself. The prison itself was the primordial sound Omkara from which emerge Sriman Narayana floating on a Ashwatha leaf from whose navel had sprung Brahmadeva.

Shocked to know that Brahma was being held captive by Skanda, devas and the celestial Rishis approached Shiva for help. Shiva was amused at how a young boy could imprison the great creator god but agreed to help the gods. Skanda went back to his father, Lord Shiva asked Skanda what happened. The boy replied that he did not get a satisfactory explanation from Lord Brahma on the meaning of Pranava / Om.

Lord Shiva asked his son whether he knew the meaning as it would not be possible to judge someone or something without first having knowledge of the subject. Lord Subrahmanya replied in that he knows the meaning of Pranava. Lord Shiva asked Kumara to explain to him and all the Ganas, devas assembled in Kailasa, the meaning of the ultimate truth Omkara, but Skanda declined saying that the meaning of Pranava can be explained only by a guru to his sishya and if Lord Parameswara wished to know the meaning of Omkara, he should approach him as a guru and seek the explanation.

No Mantra may be learnt or explained unless through a guru. Lord Shiva was no exception and Muruga made the Supreme Lord Himself as an example to establish this. When approaching a guru, there shall be no ego in the mind of the student. Even if the student had some glimpse of what the Guru would explain or even if he had full knowledge of the subject, he should never show off and approach the guru with a clean mind. Lord Parameshwara, who is none other than Pranava took the mantle of the disciple and reverentially requested His own son Skanda to explain the meaning of the Pranava / Omkara.

Skanda explained the meaning of the absolute truth, the essence of Pranava to his Father, Shiva, who received the Upadesha in all humility as a disciple. This teaching is also known as the Pranava Veda.

Skanda Imparts, “The motionless root factor prakriti wih three cardinal characters, rajoguna, thamoguna and satvaguna was in equilibrium. The induction of force, i.e. shakti into the motionless prakriti caused primary movement altering the state of equilibrium. That initial sound thus born is called Om.

Om is the root cause of all powers or energies of the cosmos. It is incomparable and all that is immortal had been born from this Om only.

Life is an eternal riddle right from the day of creation. Life has got different meaning to different people in different walks of life.

The Trinity – Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are contained in Om. Om means that everything is love – unbroken and unshakable love is Om. This is the essence and also the secret of Om that Lord Skanda narrated to Lord Shiva.

Brahma was imprisoned by Skanda in Omkara and came out to resume understanding the meaning of Pranava and resumed His work of creation with more vigour.

Upon hearing this, Goddess Parvati (Mother of Lord Skanda, and an incarnation of the Mother Divine) was elated and overcome with joy. She said, ‘You have become a Guru (Swami) to my Lord (Natha)!’ Saying this she addressed her son as Swaminatha, and ever since Lord Skanda also came to be known as Swaminatha.

Subrahmanaya Himself being a part of Shiva-Shakti and hence Pranava / Omkara, gave the upadesha to His own father and hence earned the name ‘Swaminatha’, one who is the god to the Supreme. Swami means that which master and Natha means Lord or Protector and the term Swaminatha means one who is the master (guru) to the supreme Lord (Shiva). There is another meaning when we consider the term Swami Nada. Nada means sound and Swami Nada means the Master of Sound. As all sound emanates from the Omkara, Swaminada means Omkara itself. The difference is only in Samskrit and in Tamil the two words are written in the same way.

So in this way, Lord Skanda assumed the position of the Guru and explained the meaning of Om to Lord Shiva by sitting on his shoulder.

The Vedas

When Brahma started meditating on Brahman, the Reality, His breath came out as The Vedas. That is from the Inhalation and Exhalation of the Breath of Brahma.Vedas came from the Five Heads of Brahma. As He had five heads then, Five Vedas came into Being. After Shiva removed the fifth head of Brhma, the Fifth Veda was lost. This Veda is the Pranava Veda.

The Bhagavata Purana elaborates on the Chandogya Upanishad’s statement concerning the fifth, by stating that after the four Vedas emerged from each of Brahma’s four mouths, the fifth Veda – itihasapurana – emerged from his fifth mouth or all his mouths. It then declares itself supreme over all other puranas, on the grounds that it was Vyasa’s crowning achievement. Similarly, the Skandapurana, too, suggests that the puranas are the Fifth Veda, thus giving itself scriptural authority
Skanda and Shiva were not separate entities, They are one and the same, by receiving advice from Skanda, Lord Shiva was getting advice from Himself.

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About Author:
Subhasini BA, is a Screenplay writer, Director, creative director, costume designer and producer, whose work has featured in some of the most prestigious film festivals in the country and internationally. She has collaborated on several film projects juggling different roles. 

In beginning of her career, she worked as Associate director and Costume Designer with the acclaimed director Girish Kasaravalli. She’s written and directed a documentary film on the famed Krishna Temple in Udupi, and also written plays, screenplays for films and short form content for some of the leading technology companies in India, including Microsoft, Akamai Technologies, LAM Research, and SAP. 

With Knowledge in Sanskrit, Subhasini is a seeker of the Eternal Truth / Santana Dharma, writes on dharma. She is passionate about History, Mythology, Philosophy and Spirituality. She believes Dharma is the manifestation of the natural strength of every living soul.
She lives in Cincinnati.

Image Courtesy: AbstractWallpaper

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