[Y-Indology] Skanda-Murukan

[Guest guest]

In Chaandogya UpaniSad VII.26.2, the sage Sanatkumaara is called Skanda.

 

Dr Valerie J Roebuck

Manchester, UK

>

>Other names for Kartikeya are Kumar, Subramanyam, Murooga, etc.

>Are there more? Can someone help me on this topic? Thanks.

>

>Sarjerao Deshmukh

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, Valerie J Roebuck <vjroebuck@A...> wrote:

> In Chaandogya UpaniSad VII.26.2, the sage Sanatkumaara is called

>Skanda.

>

> Dr Valerie J Roebuck

> Manchester, UK

> >

> >Other names for Kartikeya are Kumar, Subramanyam, Murooga, etc.

> >Are there more? Can someone help me on this topic? Thanks.

> >

> >Sarjerao Deshmukh

 

Dear Dr. Roebuck,

 

 

The Dakshinamurti Shiva, sitting under the Banyan tree,

teaches the vedas to 4 rishis starting with sanaka.

While 3 of the team are very aged and dissipated munis,

sanatkumAra is a young boy.

 

This is used effectively by Rajaraja I in the Chola painting

(early 11th century) in Tanjore temple. Many books on Cholas

(for example, Heitzman's OUP book on Cholas depicts

the King Rajaraja along with his Guru - KaruvUrttEvar

on the cover). Art historians told me it also means

SanatkumAra with one muni like Sanaka. Why? Because

(largely faded) 4 men (3 old, 1 young) are shown,

along with Dakshinamurti sitting like Sabarimalai Ayyappan

with yoga-paTTa straps.

 

In the Tanjore Rajarajesvaram, the image of Sanatkumara

overlapping on Rajaraja I is comparable with the large

sculptural frieze at GangaikoNDacholapuram that his son built.

There Rajendra I, s/o Rajaraja, places himself as ChandesanAyanaar,

a Saiva-bhakti saint being garlanded with konRai flowers

by Shiva himself.

 

The relations between Sanatkumara and Brahma is explained

in some papers by Parpola. The lotus and brahma on Narayana

is structurally similar with lotus mothers protecting kumara

in a reed pond, I think.

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan