With Kartikeya and Ganesha at their heels, Shiva and Parvati entered into a courtyard brimming with fresh blooms, filling the air with intoxicating aromas. At the center of this courtyard was a pond of crystalline clear water, disturbed only by the rhythmic splashes of the koi swimming gracefully through its depths. Shiva directed his family to sit on an outcropping of soft green grass as he stared on at the breathtaking golden peacock which was motionlessly suspended above the pond by no conceivable means.
"I've always loved this garden," noted Parvati as she nestled herself into the grass between her two boys. Both Shiva and Parvati were more than happy to sit there in silence as they watched the splendor of nature unfold before them, but their children were not yet mature enough to understand the importance of quiet introspection.
"DAD TELL ME MORE ABOUT MY PURPOSE," exclaimed Kartikeya. He had tried to hold his tongue but simply had no patience left to expend.
"Were you more patient and disciplined with your meditation, you could unlock these truths for yourself," sighed Shiva.
"Come now, Shiva, he may be destined for much greatness, but he is still a child. Perhaps knowing how you came into this world will help you understand," replied Parvati with a soft and loving smile.
"Both you boys came to be in rather...unconventional ways. You see when I was young I had an unfortunate run in with the goddess of love and desire, Rati. She placed a terrible curse on me, that I may never nurture children in my own womb. For a mere mortal this would be devastating, but for your father and me it simply meant we had to get creative. Shiva took me to a cave in which we would be undisturbed and we began to meditate. From our deep meditation emerged a manifestation of our energies that grew so hot that even the lord of fire, Agni, could not touch it. He handed it to the Goddess Ganga but even her cooling touch was of no avail against the ferocity of the power. She therefore deposited it into a lake on a bed of reeds. In the end only I could bear the intensity of my and Shiva's energy and it was at the bottom of that lake that I molded the fiery energy into a stable form. That power which even the greatest of the gods could not bear was you, Kartikeya."
With this revelation of his divine origin, Kartikeya all at once became aware of the warm, tingling power looming under the surface of his skin. He shut his eyes and began to engage in meditative breathing as he had watched his father do so many times before. With each breath he felt himself slipping further from the physical plane. The heat of his energy was now permeating his body and sending a warm breeze through the air. As he focused on this energy and followed the power to its source, he became consumed with flashes of his future.
He heard Brahma's voice echo down to the Devas from heaven, warning them that the only chance they had against the invincible Tarakasura was Kartikeya. He saw himself soaring into battle on the back of a mighty peacock, brandishing a spear which radiated divine power. He saw the intense battle between an older and more heroic version of himself and the demon, and he saw himself emerge victorious.
When Kartikeya returned from his trance he noted the smell of singed grass and saw above him his family's eager onlooking eyes and below him a patch of charred earth which extended in a twenty food radius about him. His father was grinning from ear to ear, his mother looked more proud than ever before, and his brother was so confused he seemed to have forgotten how to keep his jaw from hanging agape.
"I told you that you could discover all things through yourself. Now that you know what you must do, it is time that you were united with your Vahana," boomed Shiva's voice as he began to turn back towards the pond.
Kartikeya quizzically began to ask, "What's a Vaha-"
He was cut off by the deafening sound of his father snapping his fingers. The impact of this motion sent ferocious winds in every direction as dark storm clouds began to form a cyclone overhead. From the eye of this storm shot down a bolt of lightning emitting such a ferocious light that all but Shiva had to turn from it. The streaking ribbon of energy collided with the golden peacock with a sizzling crack and the golden surface of the figure began to glow red hot and melt away. With a loud screech, a form burst from the confines of the molten metal and spiraled up through the dark blanket covering the sky. The force of its beating wings cleared the air and after a triumphant and playful lap around the courtyard, the beautiful and noble beast landed and bowed before Kartikeya.
Shiva then proceeded to answer his son's previous question as if the whole scene that had unfurled was rather droll to him. "Your Vahana is your defender, your mount in battle, and you may find him to also be your closest companion. Take good care of him, train with him, and together you will defeat many evils."
Unable to contain himself, Kartikeya threw his arms around his new friend and exclaimed, "I'll call him Paravani. I promise we won't let you down, Father."
Ganesha, seeing the amazing power and gift that his brother had been given, began to mope. His mother seeing his anguish came to his side and consoled him saying, "How about we impart a revelation for you next?"
Thrilled beyond belief Ganesha replied, "Yes please, let's go!" and rushed off, uncertain of where exactly he was headed.
This story was super fun to write. I hope it was equally enjoyable to read! I went a little rogue in parts of this story. While Kartikeya was destined to defeat the demon Tarakasura, it was never stated that he was aware of this in his childhood. Also, I decided to make Kartikeya's Vahana a gift from his father to keep the family themes going throughout the story. However, in truth Kartikeya took mercy on a demon whom he had defeated and rather than killing him, he changed him into Paravani. Ganesha also has a mount named Mooshika, but as it is a rat, I intend to focus more on the intricate symbolism of his holy items. One of my favorite aspects of Kartikeya is that while he is the god of war, he is not brash, arrogant, or hot-headed as is the Greek God Ares. Instead, the Indian legends paint him as disciplined and desiring war only to bring about peace. He is a divine conqueror for the good of all, and through him it is believed that one can defeat their temptations and shortcomings in order to move towards perfection.