Maa Skandamata | The Goddess Worshipped On The 5th Day Of Navaratri
The Goddess worshipped on the 5th day of Navaratri is Skandmata. Skandamata literally means the mother of Skanda. Skanda also known as Karthikeya or Murugan is widely worshipped in South India especially in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Skandamata is the epitome of motherly affection.
The Goddess is worshipped as the mother of Skanda on day 5 of Navaratri. She is the epitome of motherly affection.
She rides a lion and sits on a lotus. Because of this, Skandamata is also known as Goddess Padmasana. She has four arms. In two or her hands, she carries one lotus each. One hand blesses her denotes and the fourth hand carries baby Skanda / Karthikeya. She blesses her devotees with wisdom, prosperity, power and salvation.
Skandamata governs the planet Mercury. Since Mercury is the planet of learning, worshipping Skandamata is beneficial for the academic and intellectual progress of her devotees.
The legend of Skanda
There was once a powerful demon called Tarkasur. He wanted to achieve immortality, so he did penance for thousands of years and pleased Lord Brahma who appeared before him. When Brahma asked Tarkasur what boon he wanted, the demon replied that he wanted the boon of immortality. Brahma said that every living being had to die one day and hence it was not possible to grant that wish.
At this point, Tarkasur came up with a brilliant idea. He knew that Brahma would not bless him with immortality, so he decided to make some modifications to the boon he wanted. So, he said that he could only be killed by the son of Lord Shiva. His reasoning was simple. Shiva was an ascetic with absolutely no interest in worldly affairs. Hence, the demon was convinced that he would never marry or have a son. Brahma granted him this wish and Tarkasur started wreaking havoc all over the world. He was practically invincible because no one currently alive could kill him. His cruelty caused much distress not only to humans on earth but also to those devas who reside in the heaven. Hence, the Devas approached Lord Shiva and pleaded that he should marry and have a son.
At around that time Goddess Parvati was doing penance as Brahmacharini with the sole objective of winning Shiva as her husband. Eventually, they got married and a son with six heads was born to them. He was called Karthikeya or Skanda. When Skanda grew up, he killed Tarkasur and thus saved both heaven and earth from his atrocities.
See also
Maa Shailputri | Goddess worshipped on Day 1 of Navaratri
Maa Brahmacharini | Goddess worshipped on Day 2 of Navaratri
Maa Chandraghanta | Goddess worshipped on Day 3 of Navaratri