Ganesha - Kartikeya - Dharma Devas
Gaṇeśa - Kārtikeya
Lords of Dharma
In whose one limb all the Gods, three and thirty in number, are affixed, tell me of that Support—who may He be?
Atharva Veda 10.7.13. ve, 64
Do Other Gods Exist Apart from Śiva?
SLOKA 21
Supreme God Śiva has created all the Gods and given them distinct existence and powers, and yet He pervades them wholly. They are separate but inseparable. At the deepest level, nothing exists apart from Him. Aum.
BHĀSHYA
God Śiva is the Supreme Being, the Lord of lords. He alone prevails everywhere. Not an atom moves except by His will.
Gaṇeśa, Kārtikeya, Indra, Agni and all the 330 million Gods of Hinduism are beings just as we are, created by Lord Śiva and destined to enjoy union with Him.
The Gods are souls of high evolution. They are very old and mature souls, mighty beings who live in the Śivaloka. Though neither male nor female, they may be popularly depicted as Gods and Goddesses.
The devas are benevolent beings of light abiding in the higher Antarloka. They help guide evolution from their world between births.
The asuras are demonic beings of darkness, immature souls who temporarily inhabit Naraka, the lower Antarloka.
Devas and asuras are usually subject to rebirth.
We worship Śiva and the Gods. We neither worship the devas nor invoke the asuras. Kārtikeya, Gaṇeśa and all the Gods, devas and asuras worship Śiva.
The Vedas explain:
“From Him, also, are born the Gods, in manifold ways, the celestials, men, cattle, birds, the in-breath and the out-breath, rice and barley, austerity, faith, truth, chastity and the law.” Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.
What Is the Nature of Lord Gaṇeśa?
SLOKA 22
Lord Gaṇeśa is the elephant-faced Patron of Art and Science, the Lord of Obstacles and Guardian of Dharma. His will prevails as the force of righteousness, the embodiment of Śiva’s karmic law in all three worlds. Aum.
BHĀSHYA
Lord Śiva, the Almighty Power, created Heaven and Earth and the God Lord Gaṇeśa to oversee the intricate karmas and dharmas within the heavens and all the earths.
Lord Gaṇeśa was created as a governor and interplanetary, intergalactic Lord. His knowledge is infinite, His judgment is just.
It is none other than Lord Gaṇeśa and His mighty band of gaṇas who gently help souls out of the Naraka abyss and adjust them into higher consciousness after due penance has been paid, guiding them on the right path toward dharmic destiny.
He is intricate of mind, loving pomp, delighting in all things sweet and enjoying adulation.
Lord Śiva proclaimed that this son be worshiped first, even before Himself. Verily, He is the Lord of Karma.
All Mahādevas, minor Gods, devas and sentient beings must worship Gaṇeśa before any responsible act could hope to be successful. Those who do not are subject to their own barriers. Yea, worship of Him sets the pattern of one’s destiny.
The Tirumantiram says:
“Five-armed is He, elephant-faced with tusks protruding, crescent-shaped, son of Śiva, wisdom’s flower, in heart enshrined, His feet I praise.” Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.
Lord of Karma, Gaṇeśa removes obstacles with the goad. He also places obstacles in our path, using the noose. The broken tusk is sacrifice, and the ripe mango is spiritual attainment. His red form is Vijayā Gaṇapati, victorious bestower of success.
What Is Lord Gaṇeśa’s Special Duty?
SLOKA 23
As Lord of Obstacles, Gaṇeśa wields the noose and the goad, icons of His benevolent power of preventing or permitting events to happen in our life. Thus, we invoke His grace and wisdom before any worship or task. Aum.
BHĀSHYA
Lord Gaṇeśa, the God of time and memory, strategically seated on the Mūlādhāra chakra, poised between the higher and lower chakras, stabilizes all sentient beings.
He holds the architect’s plans of the divine masterpiece of universal past and future. Only good comes from Lord Gaṇeśa, who by taking the form of an elephant distinguishes Himself from other Gods.
The chārya pāda begins with His worship. He staves off misfortune for those who perform penance in His name. He guides our karma from within us through the timing of events.
Before any important undertaking, we supplicate Him to clear obstacles from the path, if it be His will.
This Lord of Obstacles prevents us from hurting ourselves through living under an incomplete concept or making a request unneeded or beginning an endeavor not well thought out.
Before we petition Him, He expects us to use all of our faculties to arrive at the decision He would have made.
The Agamas declare:
“These Lords who, it is said, on the pure path, attend to the various duties deriving from a higher realm of maya are at the prow of the effects of the higher realm of maya” Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.
What Is the Nature of Lord Kārtikeya?
SLOKA 24
Lord Kārtikeya, Murugan, first guru and Pleiadian master of kundalini yoga, was born of God Śiva’s mind. His dynamic power awakens spiritual cognition to propel souls onward in their evolution to Śiva’s feet. Aum.
BHĀSHYA
Lord Kārtikeya flies through the mind’s vast substance from planet to planet. He could well be called the Emancipator, ever available to the call of those in distress.
Lord Kārtikeya, God of will, direct cognition and the purest, child-like divine love, propels us onward on the righteous way through religion, His Father’s law.
Majestically seated on the Maṇipura chakra, this scarlet-hued God blesses mankind and strengthens our will when we lift to the inner sky through sādhana and yoga. The yoga pāda begins with the worship of Him.
The yogi, locked in meditation, venerates Kārtikeya, Skanda, as his mind becomes as calm as Śaravaṇa, the lake of Divine Essence.
The kundalini force within everyone is held and controlled by this powerful God, first among renunciates, dear to all sannyāsins.
Revered as Murugan in the South, He is commander in chief of the great deva army, a fine, dynamic soldier of the within, a fearless defender of righteousness. He is Divinity emulated in form.
The Vedas say:
“To such a one who has his stains wiped away, the venerable Sanatkumāra shows the further shore of darkness. Him they call Skanda.” Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.
Lord Shanmugam, the six-faced, twelve-armed son of Śiva, wields many weapons, as He battles the forces of darkness to end wars, large and small. He rides the noble peacock, Mayil, which represents effulgent beauty and religion in its fullest glory.
What Does Lord Kārtikeya’s Vel Signify?
SLOKA 25
The lance-like vel wielded by Lord Kārtikeya, or Skanda, embodies discrimination and spiritual insight. Its blade is wide, long and keen, just as our knowledge must be broad, deep and penetrating. Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.
BHĀSHYA
The śakti power of the vel, the eminent, intricate power of righteousness over wrongdoing, conquers confusion within the realms below.
The holy vel, that when thrown always hits its mark and of itself returns to Kārtikeya’s mighty hand, rewards us when righteousness prevails and becomes the kundalini serpent’s unleashed power thwarting our every effort with punishing remorse when we transgress dharma’s law.
Thus, the holy vel is our release from ignorance into knowledge, our release from vanity into modesty, our release from sinfulness into purity through tapas.
When we perform penance and beseech His blessing, this merciful God hurls His vel into the astral plane, piercing discordant sounds, colors and shapes, removing the mind’s darkness.
He is the King of kings, the power in their sceptres. Standing behind the temporal majesty, He advises and authorizes. His vel empowering the ruler, justice prevails, wisdom enriches the minds of citizens, rain is abundant, crops flourish and plenty fills the larders.
The Tirumurai says:
“In the gloom of fear, His six-fold face gleams. In perils unbounded, His vel betokens, ‘Fear not.’ ” Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.
As the God evoked faith from the mighty asuras, so may my prayer for the generous worshiper be accepted!
Rig Veda 10.151.3. ve, 180
He who is source and origin of the Gods, the Lord of all, Rudra, the Mighty Sage who produced in ancient days the Golden Germ—may He endow us with purity of mind!
Krishna Yajur Veda, Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.4. ve, 156
Great are the Gods who were born from Nonbeing. Yet men aver this Nonbeing to be the single limb of the Support, the great Beyond.
Atharva Veda 10.7.23-25. ve, 65
A mighty wonder in the midst of creation moves, thanks to Fervor, on the waters’ surface. To Him whatever Gods there are adhere like branches of a tree around the trunk. To whom the Gods always with hands and feet, with speech, ear, and eye, bring tribute unmeasured in a well- measured place of sacrifice, tell me of that Support—who may He be?
Atharva Veda 10.7.38-39. ve, 66
“Agni, Vāyu, Āditya who is the time (Prajāpati), prana, food, Brahma, Rudra, Vishnu. From among these, some, meditating, adore one, others another. Please tell us: who among them is adored most, who is He?” Then he said to them: “These, indeed, are the foremost appeared forms of the highest, immortal, incorporeal Brahman.”
Krishna Yajur Veda, Maitri Upanishad 4.5-6. upb, 343
In Him exists neither action nor organ of action; no one is found His equal or superior to Him. His supreme power is revealed in manifold forms; inherent to His nature is the working of His strength and wisdom.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8. ve, 156
I’ll not sell you, not for a thousand or ten thousand pieces! O Indra, you are more to me than a father. I count a brother naught compared to you. You and a mother, O Bountiful, vie with each other in generous giving and in bestowal of joy.
Rig Veda 8.1.5-6. ve, 202
Let us know that Supreme Being and meditate upon Him, the Supreme General of the great deva army. May He enlighten us and lead us to be one with Him, Lord Skanda.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Taittirīya Āraṇyaka 10.6.2-3 (Ṣaṇmukha Gāyatri). lw, 112
In the heart of those who recount His name, He reveals His gracious feet. Thus He appears to those who chant the hallowed name Murugan. He stands immanent in all.
Tirumurai 11, Nakkirar. kd, 224
The moon, sun and fire are in unison radiating their resplendent effulgence. Radiating the luminous sparks is Murugan, who lights up the world by His peerless light.
Kathirgama Purāṇa. kd, 220
If you worship the elephant-faced Vinayaka, your life will expand bountifully. If you worship the white-tusked Vinayaka, your desires and doubts will flee. Therefore, worship Him with love-offerings of jack, hoppers, plantain and mango fruits and thus mitigate the burden of deeds.
Saint Auvaiyar. ag, 127
He has one tusk and four arms. Two of His hands hold a noose and a hook, while the other hands show the gestures of removing fear and granting boons. A mouse is seen on His flag. Red, obese, He has ears like winnowing baskets. He is dressed in red, with limbs painted with red sandalpaste.
Gaṇapati Upanishad 11-12. hp, 295
Murugan, Kumāran, Guhan—to utter and melt and have divine experience—when shall Thou grant this, O guru supreme, worshiped by the devas devout and mortals alike, O abode of virtues eight!
Kandar Anubhuti 15. ka, 116
The God with the elephantine visage I shall never forget—Śankara’s son, with massive belly and the thodu in His ear, the Lord who gave His grace to Indra, of whom mantra is His very form.
Natchintanai, “Adoration...” NT, 222