Karthigai vrata is observed on the day when the Moon crosses the constellation of Karthigai star. Since it is the birthday of Lord Muruga, devotees of Muruga consider this day very special and worship Him in an ardent manner.

Karthigai vrata in the month of Thai falls on January 26, 2018.

Karthikeyan, Shanmugan and Swaminathan are some of the names attributed to Lord Muruga. Let us see how Muruga got these names.

Shanmuga

‘Shan’ means six and ‘mugam’ means faces. Lord Muruga was not a single babe but six babies at birth. Goddess Parvathy made him a single child with six faces. So, he was called Shanmugan (a child with six faces).

 Karthikeya

Karthikeyan is named after the six Karthigai nymphs who brought Muruga up in his childhood. These nymphs shine as a constellation of stars in the sky even today.

Swaminatha

Swaminathan is the name given by Goddess Parvathy to Muruga. ‘Swami’ means guru or a person who is superior. ‘Nathan’ means husband (here, it refers to the husband of Goddess Parvathy, that is Lord Shiva). On seeing her son taking the position of a guru to her husband, Parvathy was happy and called him Swaminathan.

Let us worship Lord Muruga on Karthigai to seek His blessings and get relieved of the human bondage.