Skanda

There are various meanings for this name of Lord Muruga. It is said that Mother Parvati said the name Skanda when she took the newborn children from the six lotus flowers. Skanda means He whose very presence gives a sweet fragrance that is everlasting. It also means "one who is joined" - for when the Goddess embraced the six babies they became a single body with six faces and twelve hands. One who bears this name is graced with the highest blessings of the Divine Mother. It is also He who is the cause of the union of the soul with Himself, the Godhead. Therefore, the name also reminds us of self-realization. Skanda also refers to the origin of the divine child as the name also means "the One who ejected" as he was emitted from the third eye of Shiva. In the Chandogya Upanishad, one of the series of ancient Hindu scriptures, Skanda is also identified with Sanatkumara, the eternal youth.