Mahadev's Seven Sons: Exploring the Divine Lineage

Mahadev's Seven Sons: Exploring the Divine Lineage

Most people think that Lord Shiva, the Destroyer Archetype, has only two sons, Ganesha and Muruga/Kartikeya. But in fact, he had 7 sons. Let us see who they are.

Ganesha

Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, is the god of wisdom and knowledge. He has the power to remove all obstacles. He has many names, such as Ganapati, Vighneshwara, Lambodara, etc. Legends claim that Parvati created him using turmeric paste or the dirt from her body. Shiva inadvertently decapitated him when he refused to admit Shiva into Parvati’s chamber when she was bathing. To mollify Parvati, Shiva restored the boy to life using the head of an elephant calf, goes the story. Hindus worship Ganesha first before beginning any new venture. Most accounts describe him as a bachelor, but some claim that he has 2 wives, Riddhi and Siddhi. His mount is a mouse.

Muruga

Muruga is the god of war in the Hindu religion. His has many names like Skanda, Kartikeya, Subramanya, Shanmukha, etc. He is known for his good looks and intelligence. Muruga was born to kill the demon Tarakasura and his brothers. He was born as 6 sparks of fire from Shiva’s 3rd eye. Agni and Vayu carried the sparks to the Ganga. The 6 sparks turned into 6 babies and were raised by the Karthigai Penngal until Goddess Parvati fused all 6 babies into one. Muruga has 2 wives, Valli and Deivanai. His mount is the peacock.

Ayyappa

Ayyappa is the son of Shiva and Vishnu (in the form of Mohini). He is also called Manikandan, Sastha, and Dharmasastha. He took birth to kill the demoness Mahishi and end her reign of terror. He was raised by the Pandya king Rajasekhara, who ruled the kingdom of Pandalam in Kerala. After this, the king decided to build a temple for him, realizing his divine nature. Ayyappa is a bachelor god, and his mount is a Bengal tiger. His shrine in Sabarimala attracts a lot of devotees from all over South India who observe rigorous penance for 41 days before undertaking the pilgrimage to the shrine located in a dense forest.

Sukesh

Sukesh is the 3rd son of Shiva and Parvati. The Puranas say that his parents abandoned him. He is a demon.

Jalandhar

Also called Chalantrana, he is a demon who emerged from the 3rd eye of Shiva. When Indra’s thunderbolt injured Shiva, he opened his 3rd eye in anger, and the energy that came out of the eye mixed with the ocean, and Jalandhar was born. He was raised by Varuna and, later, the guru of the demons, Shukracharya. He grew into a powerful demon who conquered the 3 worlds. His wife was Vrinda, Kalanemi's daughter. He was killed by Shiva himself.

Bhauma

The Scriptures say that Bhauma was born when some drops of sweat from Shiva’s forehead fell on earth when he was meditating on Mt. Kailas. Shiva gave the child to the earth goddess, Bhumi, and she raised him. The child got the name Bhauma as he was nurtured by 'Bhumi' (earth).

When he grew up, Bhauma went to Kashi and did rigorous penance to please Shiva. The latter blessed him by bestowing on him 'Mangala-loka (the Abode of Mangala), which was better than 'Shukra-loka' (the Abode of Shukra, the god of Venus). In the solar system, 'Bhauma' is Mangal or planet Mars. Also called Lohita (the red one), he is the deity of war, anger, and aggression.

The child was beautiful and had 4 arms and red skin. His birth reflects the deep connections between nature and the divine.

Andhaka

Shiva was in deep meditation on Mt. Mandara. Parvati covered his eyes in a playful mood, plunging the entire universe into darkness. The sweat that formed in Parvati's hands, when she touched Shiva's third eye, fell to the ground. From it, emerged a blind and horrible looking boy. Parvati was frightened on seeing him, but Shiva scolded her, as he was their child.

When the demon king Hiranyaksha performed penance to please Shiva for getting a child, Shiva gave the boy to him and named him Andhaka (the blind one). After Vishnu killed Hiraṇyākṣha, Andhaka became the new king. After performing severe penance to Brahma, he received the boons of vision and immortality. But Brahmā warned him that Shiva could kill him. Andhaka’s problems began when he decided to marry Parvati, who was the world’s most beautiful woman. This led to a fight with Shiva, and the latter eventually defeated him. However, most scriptures also mention that he begged for forgiveness on learning of his true parentage, and Shiva and Parvati pardoned him. He was also made a Gana chief (follower of Shiva).