| Devasena | |
|---|---|
Personified Armament of the Gods; Goddess of Aspirations | |
 A lithograph on Kartikeya with Devasena seated on his lap | |
| Other names | Devayanai, Amritavalli, Shashti |
| Affiliation | Devi,Kaumari,Shashthi |
| Mount | Elephant Cat (As Shashthi) |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Indra andShachi (according toPuranas) or Daksha (according to theMahabharata) |
| Consort | Kartikeya |
| Children | Shakha |
Devasena (Sanskrit:देवसेना,lit. 'Army of the devas',IAST:Devasenā,Tamil:தேவசேனா,romanized: Tēvacēṉā) is theHindu goddess of aspirations, and the consort of the war godKartikeya (Murugan).[1] She is also known asDevayanai,Deivanai, andDeivayanai inTamil texts. Her name is also spelled asTeyvanai orTevayanai (Teyvāṉai).
Devasena is described as the daughter of thePrajapatiDaksha in theMahabharata, while some Sanskrit scriptures consider her as the daughter ofIndra, the king of thedevas (gods), and his wifeShachi. In the Tamil iteration of theSkanda Purana, she is portrayed as the daughter of the godVishnu, who is later adopted by Indra.[2][3] She is betrothed to Kartikeya by Indra, when he becomes the commander-in-chief of the devas. In Tamil accounts, Devasena is generally depicted as an antithesis ofValli, her sister-wife; together they complete the deity. Devasena is generally depicted with Murugan, and is often also accompanied by Valli.
InTamil Nadu, Devasena does not enjoy independent worship, but is venerated as Murugan's consort in most of his temples. She plays a greater role in theTirupparankunram Murugan Temple, believed to be the site of her marriage. In East India, Devasena is worshipped in the form ofShashthi, where she is usually worshipped independently.
The Sanskrit name of the goddessDevasena means "army of the gods" and thus, her husband is known asDevasenapati ("Lord of Devasena").[4] The epithetDevasenapati is a pun, which also conveys his role as commander-in-chief of the devas.
She is calledDeivanai orDeivayanai (Tamil, literally meaning "celestial elephant"),[5] as she was raised by Indra's divine elephant,Airavata.[6]
InNorth India, Kartikeya is generally considered as celibate and unmarried.[6]Sanskrit scriptures generally regard only Devasena as the consort of Kartikeya, while in Tamil Nadu, he has two consorts, Devayanai (Devasena) andValli.[6] Devasena is described as a daughter of the king of the gods,Indra, and his wife,Shachi[6] or at least the adopted daughter of Indra.
The third book ofMahabharata narrates the tale of the birth of Kartikeya, which mentions Devasena. Devasena and Daityasena (literally "army of demons") are the daughters ofPrajapatiDaksha.[7] Once, while the sisters are enjoying leisure at the banks of Lake Manasa, theasura (demon) Keshi abducts them so that he could marry them. While Devasena refuses, Daityasena consents. Meanwhile, the gods are defeated in a battle by the demons. Indra, who is searching for an idealDevasenapati (commander of the army of the gods), reaches the place where Devasena is held captive. On her 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 theyakshas. Indra discusses the matter with the godBrahma and they agree that a son born ofAgni would be suitable for being theDevasenapati, 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 which prove his supremacy over the gods, Kartikeya 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 withShiva, who is proclaimed as the father of Kartikeya. Ultimately, with the aid of Devasena and Kartikeya, the gods defeat the demons.[8][9][10] In this narrative, Devasena is identified with many other goddesses likeShashthi, Shri-Lakshmi, Kuhu-Sinivali, and others.[11]
The Tamil manuscripts of the Sanskrit scriptureSkanda Purana mentions Devasena and Valli as the incarnations of the daughters ofVishnu, Amritavalli and Sundaravalli, respectively.[12] Thus, Murugan is regarded as the son-in-law of Vishnu, as their husband. An interpolation in the Tamil recensions of the scripture as well as theKanda Purana (the Tamil version of the SanskritSkanda Purana) narrate the story of the marriage of the two maidens to Murugan. The two maidens are fated to be married to the god. The elder sister Devasena is born as Amritavalli. She follows the path of traditional Hindu rituals and practices to gain her husband. Appeased by her penance, Indra adopts her as his daughter, and marries her to Murugan in an arranged marriage, following custom, after the latter triumphs over theasuras (demons). TheKanda Purana describes Devayanai (Devasena) as the daughter of Indra, without any mention of adoption. The couple is described as taking their abode in the hills ofThiruttani, where one of Murugan's chief temples,Thiruthani Murugan Temple, stands. Another version describes the couple as residing inSvarga, the abode of the gods. Meanwhile, Valli is born as Sundaravalli. She is adopted by a tribal chieftain, and grows up as a huntress. Murugan wins Valli's hand and takes her to Thiruttani. The god is worshipped at the Thiruthani temple, flanked by Devasena on his left and Valli on his right. In the end, the trio settles in the abode of the gods and lives in harmony thereafter.[13][14] An alternate ending found inSri Lankan lore describes Murugan as staying on in the forest with Valli after their wedding atKataragama, wherehis temple stands. Devayanai tries in vain to compel the god to return to the abode of the gods, but finally joins Kartikeya and Valli to reside in Kataragama.[15]
Unlike theSkanda Purana which talks about harmony between Devasena and Valli, theParipatal – part of TamilSangam literature – speaks about conflict, resulting in a battle between Devayanai's royal soldiers and Valli's hunter clan, which the latter win. Folkecal (a folk poem, presented as a dialogue of two persons) tradition also talks about the mistrust and quarrel between the co-wives. In one version - where Devayanai is the elder sister of Valli, Valli tries to woo Murugan, before Devayanai's marriage. As per tradition, the elder sister has to be married off first. Infuriated, Devayanai curses Valli to be born in the forest in her next life, and the curse is then fulfilled when Valli is born as a huntress.[16] In theJayantipura Mahatmya, the details of which correspond to most of those found in theSkanda Purana tale, Devasena and Valli are married to Kartikeya from primal times. However, in this version, the god condemns Valli to be born on earth as punishment for mocking her sister Devayanai.[17] TheThirumurugatrupadai from Sangam literature describes Murugan being accompanied by his chaste wife Devayanai and honoured by a procession of devas andrishis (sages).[18]
Devayanai is generally depicted with her husband, particularly in an iconographic form calledSenapati. She sits on the left thigh of the six-headed and twelve-armed Kartikeya. One of his arms holds her waist. Numerous depictions of the two exist atTirupparankunram, the location of their marriage. However, in many south-Indian representations, when Murugan is depicted only with one consort, Valli is favoured over Devasena. In most Tamil depictions, Murugan is depicted with both his consorts standing besides him; Devasena is on his left-hand side.[5] Her complexion is yellow; she is often depicted adorned with a crown, earrings, necklaces and ornaments. She wears a traditionalsari and has two arms. She holds a lotus in her left arm, while her right hand hangs down.[19]
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The presence of the two consorts is said to denote the dual nature of Murugan, as the god of heaven and earth. Devasena, the celestial wife, is married in a traditional arranged marriage while the earthy Valli is won by Murugan, resulting in a love marriage. The consorts also represent a syncretism between theShaiva andVaishnava traditions, dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, respectively. 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 Devasena conveys Vaishnava ideals, where the soul (Devasena) remains detached from God; she has her own relative autonomy and earns the love of the god by her own merit. In contrast, the Shaiva philosophy says that God is attached to the soul (Valli), and hence he woos her.[21] TheParipatal contains aTamil panegyric dedicated to Murugan. It praises him as the god who is allowed to have two wives, Devasena – the daughter of Indra and Valli, a hunter princess. Murugan is described to equally spend his time on earth and in heaven. This is also conveyed by his wives, Devasena is a daughter of the heavens, while Valli is an earthly maiden.[18]
Another interpretation regards the trio as the three eyes of Shiva. Devasena and Valli are representations ofkriya shakti (the power of action) andIccha-shakti (will-power) respectively; while their Kartikeya is thethird eye, the symbol of the transcendentaljnana-shakti (the power of knowledge).[21][22] In Tamil literature, two kinds of love are mentioned:karpu ("chastity"), love bound in the traditional marriage, represented by Devasena andkalavu, love before marriage, conveyed by Valli.[23][24] Devasena represents "the conventional, control, ritualized approach to worship" God, while Valli is worship through "ecstasy and self-abandonment".[24] Devasena is the epitome of chastity and purity. In trinity ofgunas, she is the middleguna –rajas, symbolizing "rulership, fixity, and stability". Kartikeya is the most superiorSattva (pure), while Valli is the inferiortamas (dark).[25] As per another interpretation, Devasena is an embodiment of how virtuous people should live considering her steadfast and uncompromising fight against evil.[26]
Tirupparankunram Murugan Temple inTirupparankunram nearMadurai is dedicated to Murugan and Devayanai. It is believed that she was married to the god at this location. A festival icon depicts the god seated close to his divine consort.[27] The 8th-century Ladan kovil temple atYanaimalai is one of the earliest temples dedicated to the divine couple.[28]
Devasena and Valli, the consorts of Murugan, do not have independent temples dedicated to them. Their images are installed in shrines of Murugan, where they flank their consort on either side. They are worshipped with Murugan and receive offerings as part of his worship (seePuja (Hinduism)). A fast is observed on Tuesdays to placate the consort goddesses. Festival icons of Murugan used during temple festival processions generally depict him with his consorts.[19]
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