Devasena (, ) is a Hindu goddess of aspiration, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai ().
Devasena is described as the daughter of the Prajapati Daksha in the Mahabharata, while some Sanskrit scriptures consider her as the daughter of Indra, the king of the devas (gods), and his wife Shachi. In the Tamil iteration of the Skanda Purana, she is portrayed as the daughter of the god Vishnu, who is later adopted by Indra. She is betrothed to Kartikeya by Indra, when he becomes the commander-in-chief of the devas. In Tamil accounts, Devasena is generally depicted as an antithesis of Valli, her sister-wife; together they complete the deity. Devasena is generally depicted with Murugan, and is often also accompanied by Valli.
In Tamil Nadu, Devasena does not enjoy independent worship, but is venerated as Murugan's consort in most of his temples. She plays a greater role in the Tirupparankunram Murugan Temple, believed to be the site of her marriage. In East India, Devasena is worshipped in the form of Shashthi, where she is usually worshipped independently.
Etymology
The Sanskrit name of the goddess Devasena means "army of the gods" and thus, her husband is known as Devasenapati ("leader of Devasena"). The epithet Devasenapati is a pun, which also conveys his role as commander-in-chief of the devas.
She is called Deivanai or Deivayanai (Tamil, literally meaning "celestial elephant"), as she was raised by Indra's divine elephant, Airavata.
Legends and textual references
In North India, Kartikeya is generally considered as celibate and unmarried. Sanskrit scriptures generally regard only Devasena as the consort of Kartikeya, while in Tamil Nadu, he has two consorts, Devayanai (Devasena) and Valli. Devasena is described as a daughter of the king of the gods, Indra, and his wife Shachi or at least the adopted daughter of Indra.
Mahabharata
The third book of Mahabharata narrates the tale of the birth of Kartikeya, which mentions Devasena. Devasena and Daityasena (literally "army of demons") are the daughters of Prajapati Daksha. Once, while the sisters are enjoying leisure at the banks of Lake Manasa, the asura (demon) Keshi abducts them so that he could marry them. While Devasena refuses, Daityasena consents. Meanwhile, the gods are defeated in a battle by the demons. Indra, who is searching for an ideal Devasenapati (commander of the army of the gods), reaches the place where Devasena is held captive. On her request, Indra defeats the demon and rescues her. Devasena asks Indra to find her a husband (pati) who can protect her and defeat the gods, the demons and the yakshas. Indra discusses the matter with the god Brahma and they agree that a son born of Agni would be suitable for being the Devasenapati, the husband of Devasena and the commander-in-chief of the gods. Accordingly, Agni is forced to have a son, who becomes Kartikeya. After many exploits which prove his supremacy over the gods, Kartikeya is made the general of the army of the gods and is married to Devasena by Indra. At this point in the text, Agni is identified with Shiva, who is proclaimed as the father of Kartikeya. Ultimately, with the aid of Devasena and Kartikeya, the gods defeat the demons. In this narrative, Devasena is identified with many other goddesses like Shashthi, Shri-Lakshmi, Kuhu-Sinivali, and others.