DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0225
Worship of Gane'sa and Su-brahmanya. 213
earth, air and sky—the one ill-disposed towards all forms of
life, human and divine, the other well-disposed; the one
destroyers, the other protectors; the one instruments. of
calamity and disaster, the other agents of good-fortune and
prosperity.
It is to be observed, too, that differences of rank, character,
and function are supposed to separate both good and bad
spiritsa into various subdivisions. For example, the highest
order of evil demons, who may be called arch-fiends, disdain
any lower aim than the humiliation and subjugation of the
gods, and to effect this they will sometimes undergo long
courses of austerity and self-mortification in the hope of
making themselves omnipotent. The next in order vent
their rancour and hostility upon human beings. Of these,
again, some destroy life, some inflict diseases, some disturb
religious rites, and some are mere demons of mischief and
obstruction who delight in hindering good works or frighten-
ing women and children, like the ghosts, hobgoblins, elves,
and bogies of nursery tale and fable.
Similar differences are supposed to divide good demons
into various orders and degrees of rank and power.
It is over these countless hosts of good and evil demons
that the god Siva exercises sovereignty. They are all
primarily subject to his authority; but the actual command
over them is delegated to his two sons, Ganesa and Skanda.
As for Skanda, although the younger and less generally
worshipped, he holds the more ambitious office. He is
called the god of war, because he is commander-in-chief or
generalissimo (Sena-pati) of the good demon armies. These
he leads against the hosts of their enemies the evil demons,
notably against those rebellious and arrogant arch-fiends
who seek to overcome and enslave the gods. He is often
called Karttikeya, from his foster-mothers, the six Krittikas
1 The use of the term 'spirit' for demon is not intended to imply that
demons are incorporeal spiritual beings.
earth, air and sky—the one ill-disposed towards all forms of
life, human and divine, the other well-disposed; the one
destroyers, the other protectors; the one instruments. of
calamity and disaster, the other agents of good-fortune and
prosperity.
It is to be observed, too, that differences of rank, character,
and function are supposed to separate both good and bad
spiritsa into various subdivisions. For example, the highest
order of evil demons, who may be called arch-fiends, disdain
any lower aim than the humiliation and subjugation of the
gods, and to effect this they will sometimes undergo long
courses of austerity and self-mortification in the hope of
making themselves omnipotent. The next in order vent
their rancour and hostility upon human beings. Of these,
again, some destroy life, some inflict diseases, some disturb
religious rites, and some are mere demons of mischief and
obstruction who delight in hindering good works or frighten-
ing women and children, like the ghosts, hobgoblins, elves,
and bogies of nursery tale and fable.
Similar differences are supposed to divide good demons
into various orders and degrees of rank and power.
It is over these countless hosts of good and evil demons
that the god Siva exercises sovereignty. They are all
primarily subject to his authority; but the actual command
over them is delegated to his two sons, Ganesa and Skanda.
As for Skanda, although the younger and less generally
worshipped, he holds the more ambitious office. He is
called the god of war, because he is commander-in-chief or
generalissimo (Sena-pati) of the good demon armies. These
he leads against the hosts of their enemies the evil demons,
notably against those rebellious and arrogant arch-fiends
who seek to overcome and enslave the gods. He is often
called Karttikeya, from his foster-mothers, the six Krittikas
1 The use of the term 'spirit' for demon is not intended to imply that
demons are incorporeal spiritual beings.