Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c26.40

v4.c26.40

A *dhyāna-śloka* current in some parts of S. India actually describes him as Sūrya. All these facts clearly point to the sun-myth as the origin of Subrahmaṇya; his six heads perhaps represent the six *ṛitus* or seasons, the twelve arms, the twelve months; the *kukkuṭa* or the fowl the harbinger of the rising sun and the peacock whose feathers display a marvellous blending of all colours represents the luminous glory of the sun; the *śaktyāyudha* is also of solar origin.