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Devasena or Deivanai is the wife of the Hindu god Kartikeya and daughter of Indra. Devasena, the daughter of Indra, the king of the gods is betrothed to Kartikeya by her father, when he becomes the commander-in-chief of the gods and is generally depicted with Kartikeya. She is worshipped as Kartikeya's consort in most of his temples and Thirupparamkunram in Tamil Nadu is believed to be the site of their marriage.
Etymology
She is called Deivanai or Deivayanai (Tamil, literally meaning "celestial elephant"), as she was raised by Indra's divine elephant Airavata. Her Sanskrit name Devasena means "army of the gods" and thus, her husband is known as Devasenapati ("Lord of Devasena"). The epithet Devasenapati is a pun which also conveys his role as commander-in-chief of the gods.
Legends and textual references
South-Indian manuscripts namely Kanda Puranam mentions that Deivanai and Valli were daughters of the god Vishnu in a previous birth, thus their husband Murugan is regarded as the son of Shiva and son-in-law of Vishnu. Kanda Puranam describes Deivanai as the daughter of Indra and they are married in Tiruparankunram after Muruga's victory over the demons. Meanwhile, Valli is born as Sundaravalli, is adopted by a tribal chieftain and grows up as a huntress. Murugan wins Valli's hand with the help of his elder brother Ganesha. The god is worshiped in Tamil culture, flanked by Deivanai on the left and Valli on the right. An alternate ending found in Sri Lankan lore states that Murugan states in the forest with Valli, after their wedding at Kataragama, where his temple stands. Devayanai tries in vain to compel the god to retur to the abode of the gods, but finally herself comes and resides in Kataragama with Kartikeya and Valli.
Another Tamil sangam literature Paripatal speaks about conflict between Deivanai's royal soldiers and Valli's hunter clan. Deivanai and Valli are also regarded as sisters and when Valli tries to woo Murugan before his marriage to Deivanai, she curses Valli to born in a forest in her next birth as a huntress. Jayantipura Mahatmya narrates that Deivanai and Valli were married to Kartikeya since primal times, however Valli was cursed by her husband to be born on earth as she mocked her sister Deivanai. Tamil sangam literature Thirumurugatrupadai describes Murugan being accompanied by his chaste wife Deivanai and is honored by a procession of gods and rishis.
In North India, Kartikeya is generally considered as celibate and unmarried. Sanskrit scriptures generally only regard Devasena as the consort of Kartikeya, while in South India, he has two consorts, Devayanai (Devasena) and Valli. Devasena is described as daughter of the king of the gods, Indra and his wife Shachi. The third Book of Mahabharata narrates the tale of the birth of Kartikeya which mentions Devasena. Devasena and Daityasena ("army of demons") are the daughters of Prajapati Daksha. Once when the sisters were enjoying at the banks of Lake Manasa, the asura (demon) Keshi abducted them so that he could marry them. While Devasena refuses, Daityasena consents. Meanwhile, the gods were defeated in battle by the demons and Indra, who is searching for an ideal Devasenapati (commander of the army of the gods), reaches the spot. On Devasena's request, Indra defeats the demon and rescues her. Devasena asks Indra to find her a husband (pati) who can protect her and defeat the gods, the demons and the yakshas. Indra discusses the matter with the god Brahma and they agree that a son of Agni is suitable in the dual role of the devasenapati, the husband of Devasena and the commander-in-chief of the gods. Accordingly, Agni is forced to have a son, who becomes Kartikeya. After many exploits and proving his supremacy over the gods, Kartikkeya is made the general of the army of the gods and is married to Devasena by Indra. At this point in the text, Agni is identified with Shiva, who is proclaimed as the father of Kartikeya. Ultimately, with the aid of Devasena and Kartikeya, the gods defeat the demons. In this narrative, Devasena is identified with many other goddesses like Shashthi, Shri-Lakshmi, Kuhu-Sinivali and others.
Iconography
Deivanai is generally depicted with her husband, particularly in an iconographic form called Senapati. She sits on the left thigh of six-headed and twelve-armed Kartikeya. One of his arms hold her waist. Numerous depictions of the two exist at Tirupparamkunram, the location of their marriage. In most South-Indian depictions, Murugan is depicted with both his consorts standing besides him; Deivanai is on his left-hand side. Her complexion is fair and she is often depicted adorned with a crown, earrings, necklaces and ornaments. She wears a traditional sari and holds a lotus in her left arm.
Symbolism
The presence of the two consorts is said to denote dual of Murugan, as the god of heaven and earth. Deivanai, the celestial wife, is married in a traditional arranged marriage while Valli is won by Muruga, resulting in a love marriage. The consorts also represent a link between the Shaiva and Vaishnava sects. The son of Shiva, Kartikeya, becomes the son-in-law of Vishnu, due to the marriages. Both the consorts are identified with the soul (Atman), while their husband (pati, Lord) represents God. The marriage of Deivanai conveys Shaiva ideals, where the soul (Deivanai) remains detached from the God; she has her own relative autonomy and earns the love of the god by her own merit. In contrast, the Vaishnava philosophy says that God is attached to the soul (Valli) and hence woos him towards her. Paripatal contains a Tamil panegyric dedicated to Murugan. Murugan is described to equally spend his time on earth and in heaven.
Another interpretation regards the trio as three eyes of Shiva. Deivanai and Valli as representations of kriya shakti (the power of action) and Iccha-shakti (will-power) respectively; while their Lord Kartikeya is the third eye, the symbol of the transcendental jnana-shakti (the power of knowledge). In Tamil literature, two kinds of love are mentioned: karpu ("chastity"), love bound in the traditional marriage, represented by Deivanai and kalavu, love before marriage, conveyed by Valli. Deivanai represents "the conventional, control, rituallized approach to worship" God, while Valli is worship through "ecstasy and self-abandonment". Deivanai is the epitome of chastity and purity. In trinity of gunas, she is the middle guna - Rajas, symbolizing "rulership, fixity, and stability". Kartikeya is the most superior Sattva (pure), while Valli is the inferior tamas (dark).
Worship
Thirupparamkunram Murugan Temple in Tirupparamkunram near Madurai is dedicated to Murugan and Deivanai. It is believed that she was married to the god at this location. A festival icon depicts the god seated close to their divine consort. The temple at Yanaimalai is the one of the earliest temples dedicated to the divine couple.
Notes
- James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 185–6. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
- ^ Clothey p. 79
- Roshen Dalal (2010). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin Books India. pp. 190, 251. ISBN 978-0-14-341517-6.
- Clothey p. 214
- Clothey pp. 83-84
- Handelman pp. 44-45
- Handelman p. 55
- Handelman p. 56
- Clothey p. 225
- ^ Clothey pp. 64-5
- Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. p. 213. ISBN 0-8426-0822-2.
- Clothey pp. 51-53
- Asian Mythologies. University of Chicago Press. 15993. pp. 93–6. ISBN 978-0-226-06456-7.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Johannes Adrianus Bernardus Buitenen; J. A. B. van Buitenen (1981). The Mahabharata, Volume 2: Book 2: The Book of Assembly; Book 3: The Book of the Forest. University of Chicago Press. p. 656. ISBN 978-0-226-84664-4.
- Daniel Jeyaraj (23 September 2004). Genealogy of the South Indian Deities: An English Translation of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg's Original German Manuscript with a Textual Analysis and Glossary. Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 1-134-28703-8.
- ^ Clothey pp. 84-85
- Handelman p. 47
- Clothey p. 142
- ^ Handelman p. 46
- Handelman p. 52
- Clothey pp. 76, 125-6
- Clothey p. 76
References
- Fred W. Clothey (1978). The Many Faces of Murukan̲: The History and Meaning of a South Indian God. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-90-279-7632-1.
- Don Handelman (2013). "Myths of Murugan". One God, Two Goddesses, Three Studies of South Indian Cosmology. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-25739-9.