Skanda
Skanda ( Sanskrit स्कन्द Skanda ) or Murugan ( Tamil முருகன் Murukaṉ ) is a Hindu god. Other common names are Karttikeya , Subrahmanya, and Kumara . According to Hindu mythology, Skanda is the son of Shiva . Under the name Murugan, he is one of the most popular deities among the Tamil Hindus. Historically, the Murugan of Tamil Hinduism was created through the amalgamation of an originally separate Tamil god with the god Skanda of pan-Hindu mythology. In the religious life of North India today, Skanda only plays a subordinate role.
Names
Skanda ( स्कन्द Skanda ) is the most common name of the deity in the all- Indian tradition. It comes from Sanskrit and is derived from the verb root skand , which can either mean “to jump” (in the sense of “to fall”) or “to spill” (especially of seeds). In the first case the name could be interpreted as “the aggressor” and refer to Scanda's character as a god of war, in the second case it would be a reference to the birth myth, according to which Scanda emerged from the shed seed of Shiva. In addition, the god is known by numerous other names. The most common are Karttikeya or Kartikeya ( कार्त्तिकेय Kārttikeya “son of the Krittikas ( Pleiades )”), Subrahmanya ( सुब्रह्मण्य Subrahmaṇya “good to the Brahmins ”) and Kumara ( कुमार Kumāra “the youth”).
The name Murugan ( முருகன் Murukaṉ ) is by far the most common among the Tamils . It is derived from the Tamil word muruku for "tenderness, youthfulness" and thus corresponds to the Sanskrit name Kumara. In addition, Tamilized forms of Sanskrit names such as Kandan ( கந்தன் Kantaṉ ), Karttikeyan ( கார்த்திகேயன் Kārttikēyaṉ ), Subramanyan ( சுப்பிரமணியன் Cuppiramaṇiyaṉ ) or Kumaran ( குமரன் Kumaraṉ ) are used in the Tamil area . Other common names refer to specific forms of god.
iconography
In its most common form of representation, Skanda / Murugan is represented in human form ( anthropomorphic ) and with two arms. Usually he appears in a youthful form. Usually he has raised his right hand in a gesture of fearlessness ( Abhayamudra ). Skanda's attribute is a lance that rests on his right shoulder. He uses a peacock as his mount ( Vahana ) . Sometimes he carries a banner that shows a rooster . Often it also appears against the background of the Tamil Om symbol, which is a symbol of God next to the lance. On the forehead and lance of Scanda there are often three horizontal stripes as a Shivaite sect mark ( Tilaka ).
Sometimes Skanda also appears with his two wives Devasena and Valli. In this case, Valli is always on his right and Devasena on his left. Skanda is often shown riding a peacock with six heads and twelve arms. In this form he bears the name Shanmukha ( Sanskrit षण्मुख Ṣaṇmukha ) or Arumugan ( Tamil ஆறுமுகன் Āṟumukaṉ ), "the six-headed". Other modes of representation relate to certain aspects of Scanda's mythology: As Dandayudhapani (Sanskrit: दण्डायुधपाणि Daṇḍāyudhapāṇi "stick-bearer") the god appears as a young ascetic with a stick, loincloth and shaved head.
In depictions of Shiva's divine family, Skanda often appears as a toddler together with Ganesha , who is also depicted as child, in the lap of his parents Shiva and Parvati . In modern representations, especially in northern India, Skanda is often missing. On the other hand, in southern India, since the Pallava epoch (7th to 9th centuries) and again in the Chola period (9th to 12th centuries), Shiva has been portrayed as Somaskanda (“with Uma / Parvati and Skanda”, but without Ganesha ) popular.
Historical development
Two separate strands can be recognized in the historical development of Scanda / Murugan: The god Skanda in the Sanskrit tradition and the god Murugan in the Tamil tradition seem to have originally been independent of each other. However, the theory that the god Skanda / Murugan was already in the 3rd millennium BC is not certain. Was worshiped in the Indus culture. While the Skanda cult in northern India declined in importance from the middle of the 1st millennium, the Tamil god Murugan merged with the deity Skanda at the same time and continued to enjoy great popularity in the south.
Murugan in the Indus culture?
The Indologist Asko Parpola put forward the thesis that the god Murugan was already worshiped in the Indus culture , the earliest advanced civilization of the Indian subcontinent (approx. 2600–1900 BC). He sees evidence of this in the inscriptions written in the Indus script , which he believes to have partially deciphered. Parpola's attempt at deciphering is based on the assumption that the bearers of the Indus culture spoke a Dravidian language and that the texts of the Indus inscriptions can therefore be interpreted using the reconstructed Dravidian proto-language . He assumes that the short inscriptions , mostly found on seals, mostly contained personal names, which in turn were derived from the names of gods. Because of the importance of Murugan for the speakers of the Dravidian languages, Parpola suspects that his name must also appear in the Indus texts. Specifically, Parpola interprets a character that shows two intersecting circles as a logogram for the proto-Dravidian word * muruku, "earring" or "bracelet" (the asterisk stands for a reconstructed shape). According to the rebus principle , this symbol could also stand for the word * muruku, "youth", which is the name of the god Murugan in early Tamil literature. Parpola sees his thesis corroborated by the fact that the sign that he reconstructs as * muruku often occurs together with another sign that represents two parallel lines. Parpola interprets the latter as * veḷ (i), "space", which can also be read as * vēḷ . The combination of the two characters corresponds to a Murugan's name, Muruka-Vēḷ, which is also documented in ancient Tamil literature . Parpola's theory, however, must be regarded as speculative, since its decipherment of the Indus script is not certain. It is not certain whether the Indus inscriptions are actually written in a Dravidian language, and even the written character of the signs has been questioned.
Skanda in the Sanskrit tradition
In Sanskrit literature there are isolated references to Skanda as early as the middle of the 1st millennium BC. In the Upanishads ( Chandogya-Upanishad ) and Aranyakas ( Taittiriya-Aranyaka ). Skanda attained greater prominence around the turn of the ages in the two epics Mahabharata and Ramayana . Here you can find detailed descriptions of the mythology of Scandas, some of which differ from the later versions. So Skanda still appears as the son of the fire god Agni . The famous Sanskrit poet Kalidasa , who probably lived around AD 400, wrote the art epic Kumarasambhava ("the birth of Kumara"). The Skanda mythology is further elaborated in the Puranas , the main genre of the mythological literature of Hinduism. One of the 18 main Puranas is entitled Skandapurana and contains, among other material, a detailed description of the deeds of Scanda.
It can be historically proven that the Skanda cult was cultivated by various North Indian ruling dynasties in the first centuries AD. Coins depicting Scandas were minted under the Kushana , Shaka and Yaudheya . At the time of the Gupta Empire (4th – 6th centuries) there are references to a pronounced Scanda cult not only in coins, but also in the names of Gupta rulers such as Kumaragupta or Skandagupta . After the Gupta period, the importance of Scandas in northern India seems to have decreased.
Murugan in the Tamil tradition
செங்களம் படக்கொன் றவுணர்த் தேய்த்த
செங்கோ லம்பிற் செங்கோட் டியானைக்
கழறொடிச் சேஎய் குன்றங்
குருதிப் பூவின் குலைக்காந் தட்டே.
Red is the place of killing the demons worn down
by rotstieligen arrows, with red teeth of the elephant,
anklets, bracelets - the hills of the Red
fully Malabarlilien , a bunch of blood flowers.
The first poem in the Sangam anthology Kurundogai describes Murugan and his hill. Traditionally interpreted as a love poem, it is probably originally an introductory verse with an invocation of Murugan.
The earliest tangible references to the god Murugan in the Tamil tradition appear in Sangam poetry , the oldest layer of Tamil literature. These texts were probably written between the 1st and 6th centuries AD and reflect a situation that is still largely free from the influences of Sanskrit culture. Despite its secular nature (love and hero poetry), Sangam literature also contains references to deities: One of the poetic conventions of Sangam love poetry is the concept of the “five landscapes”, each representing a specific emotional state. Each landscape has its own characteristics, such as certain types of plants and animals, and each has its own deity. Murugan is the god of the mountain landscape ( kurinchi ), which stands for the union of lovers. Murugan, who is often called Sey or Seyon ("the red"), appears as a mountain dweller and hunter who is worshiped through food and animal sacrifices. He carries a lance, animals associated with him are peacock, rooster and elephant . He is served by a special priest ( velan , later an epithet for the god himself) who performs a trance dance. Murugan is a protector who fights against malevolent forces and drives away fear. But it can also cause obsession .
From the god of the hill tribes, as he appeared in the earliest strata of Sangam literature, Murugan seems to have gradually transformed into a god of war who was also worshiped by the kings of the city-states. At the same time, towards the middle of the 1st millennium, with the increasing influence of Brahmanic culture, it began to merge with Sanskrit Skanda. In the two texts Paripadal and Tirumurugatruppadai , which are conventionally counted as part of the Sangam corpus, but are clearly more recent, motifs from the Skanda mythology, as described in the Sanskrit epics, appear. The Tirumurugatrupadai ("Signpost to God Murugan"), which is attributed to the poet Nakkirar and probably originated in the 6th century, is of great importance for the historical development of the Murugan cult, as it is the first devotional poetry in Tamil Literature. It thus marks the transition from ancient Tamil literature to medieval bhakti poetry.
meaning
cult
The Skanda cult is especially important among the Tamil Hindus in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu , in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka and in the Tamil diaspora. Here the god under the name Murugan is one of the most popular deities. The most visited temple in Tamil Nadu is dedicated to Murugan, various forms of Murugan's name are among the most common Tamil personal names and devotional songs and mythological films about Murugan (e.g. Kandan Karunai from 1967) are very popular.
In Sri Lanka, Skanda is worshiped not only by the Tamil Hindus, but also by the Buddhist Sinhalese in the form of the "Kataragama Deviyo" as one of the island's four protective deities. In the religious practice of the rest of India, however, Skanda hardly plays a role today. Except in Tamil Nadu, his cult is still partly widespread in the neighboring states of Kerala and Karnataka . Here he is mostly called "Subrahmanya". The god is worshiped as "Kartik" in Bengal during Durga Puja together with Lakshmi , Sarasvati and Ganesha as one of four children of the goddess Durga .
temple
In Tamil Nadu there are countless Murugan sanctuaries in cities, villages and often on hilltops. The "six pilgrimage sites" ( Arupadaividu ) of Murugans are of particular importance . It is a cluster of Murugan temples that are scattered all over Tamil Nadu and represent important pilgrimage sites. Belonging to the Arupadaividu is generally recognized at the temples of Palani , Tiruchendur , Tiruttani , Tirupparankundram and Swamimalai . The identity of the sixth temple is disputed: The Pazhamudircholai temple is often mentioned in Alagarkoil , but other Murugan temples also lay claim to the status. It is often said that any Murugan temple in Tamil Nadu is the sixth Arupadaividu . The Arupadaividu temples are spread over the whole of Tamil Nadu, from Tiruttani in the north on the border with the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh via Palani at the foot of the Palani Mountains in the west, Swamimalai in the Kaveri Delta in central Tamil Nadu and Tirupparankundram and Alagarkoil near Madurai in the southern inland to Tiruchendur on the coast of the Indian Ocean in the extreme south. The fact that the Murugan Temple of Palani is Tamil Nadu's most visited pilgrimage site testifies to the popularity of the Murugan cult. On a normal day, 10,000–12,000 believers visit the temple, and on special occasions the number multiplies.
There are also numerous Murugan temples in Sri Lanka. The Murugan Nallur Kandaswamy Temple near Jaffna is considered the most important Hindu temple in Sri Lanka. In the town of Kataragama in the Sinhalese-dominated south of the island there is an important temple of Kataragama Deviyo, who is considered sacred to Buddhists and Hindus alike. Other Buddhist shrines such as the famous Temple of the Tooth in Kandy also have Kataragama shrines.
Murugan temples have been built in Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe by Tamils living in the diaspora. In Malaysia , which has been home to a large Tamil population since the 19th century, there is a well-known Murugan shrine in the Batu Caves near the capital Kuala Lumpur with a monumental statue of the god completed in 2006 . After many Tamils from Sri Lanka settled in European countries as civil war refugees , Murugan temples have been built there in recent years, for example the Sri Murugan Mayurapathy temple in Berlin and the Sri Kathirvelauthaswamy temple in German-speaking countries Essen or the Sri Sivasubramaniar Temple in Adliswil near Zurich .
literature
- Fred Clothey: The Many Faces of Murukaṉ. The History and Meaning of a South Indian God. The Hague: Mouton, 1978.
- Fred Clothey: Murukaṉ (Skanda, Kārttikeya, Subrahmaṇya) . In: Knut A. Jacobsen, Helene Basu, Angelika Malinar, Vasudha Narayanan (eds.): Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Brill Online, 2012.
- Richard D. Mann: The Rise of Mahāsena. The transformation of Skanda-Kārttikeya in North India from the Kuṣāṇa to Gupta Empires. Brill, Leiden 2011.
- P. Thiagarajan (Ed.): Murukaṉ, the Lord of the Kuṟiñci Land. Collected Papers of the First International Conference on Murukaṉ-Skanda. Institute of Asian Studies, Chennai 2009.
- Kamil V. Zvelebil: Tiru Murugan. Madras: International Institute of Tamil Studies, 1981.
- Kamil V. Zvelebil: Tamil Traditions on Subrahmaṇya-Murugan. Institute of Asian Studies, Madras 1991.
Web links
- murugan.org - Skanda / Murugan website, extensive collection of material
Individual evidence
- ↑ Monier Monier-Williams: Sanskrit-English Dictionary . Oxford 1899, p. 1256.
- ^ Tamil Lexicon . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. University of Madras, Madras 1924-1936
- ↑ In the following, the name Skanda is used when referring to the pan-Hindu god, from Murugan when the deity in its specifically Tamil form is mentioned.
- ↑ Asko Parpola: The Roots of Hinduism. The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization, New York 2015, pp. 285-291.
- ↑ Fred W. Clothey: The Many Faces of Murukan. The History and Meaning of a South Indian God, The Hague 1978, p. 49 ff.
- ↑ Clothey 1978, p. 58 f.
- ↑ Songs of devotion and wonder. Poems of the early Tamil Bhakti, edited, translated and commented by Eva Wilden, Berlin 2013, p. 129 f.
- ^ Kamil V. Zvelebil: The Smile of Murugan. On Tamil Literature of South India, Leiden 1973, pp. 85-110.
- ↑ Clothey 1978, pp. 25-33.
- ↑ Clothey 1978, p. 33 ff.
- ↑ Clothey 1978, pp. 64-68.
- ↑ Gananath Obeyesekere: "Social Change and the Deities: Rise of the Kataragama Cult in Modern Sri Lanka", in: One 12.3 / 4 (1977), pp 377-396.
- ^ Suresh Chandra: Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, p. 83.
- ↑ Clothey 1979, p. 116 f.
- ^ Website of the city council of Palani. ( Memento of the original from June 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
