Kaarttikeya is the son of Shiv and Paarvatee. How he was born is a very interesting story. His other names are Kumaar, Murugan, Shadmukh, Shanmukh, Skand.

In the beginning Shiv was married to Satee, Daksh's daughter. Once Daksh got angry at Shiv so when he was appointed as Prajaapati by Brahmaa Jee, he decided to do a great Yagya. In the Yagya he invited everybody but Shiv and Satee. Satee wanted to go to her father's house but Shiv explained her not to go as it was not good for her to go to even her father's house without being invited. But Satee didn't listen to it and she went there. When she went in the Yagyashaalaa, she did not see Shiv's share of Yagya, she got very angry and she burnt herself then and there only.

After this Shiv went mad, he destroyed Daksh's Yagya, killed many Devtaa and Rishi, although he brought them to life later. He was so sad that he went into Samaadhi. At the same time there was a Daitya named Taarakaasur. he had got a boon that if he were to be killed he would be killed only by the hands of a 6-day old son of Shiv. He knew that Satee had died and Shiv was in Samaadhi, so he could not have been killed by his son and what a 6-day old can do to him? That is why nobody else could kill him. In the meantime Satee incarnated as Umaa in Himaalaya's house.

Seeing Shiv's condition all Devtaa were also sad and worried too as they were thinking that who was going to kill Taarakaasur? So they went to Kaam dev and requested him to help them. That he should go to Shiv, wake him up from his Samaadhi and compel him to marry Umaa. Kaam Dev knew that his time had come, so he got ready with his army, Vasant, flowers etc and woke up Shiv Jee from his Samaadhi. As was expected, as Shiv opened his third eye in rage that who had disturbed him in his Samaadhi, and looked at Kaam Dev, he got burnt to ashes. Then Devtaa came to him and prayed to make him alive and marry Umaa so that they can have a son from them who can kill Taarakaasur.

After persuasion Shiv Jee agreed and he married Umaa. Now Devtaa were waiting for his son. After a long time they had a son who was named as Kaarttikeya. Kaarttikeya was born in a Shar Van (forest of reeds). Umaa gave him to six Krittikaa to bring him up, so they fed him their milk. Since they were six, the child divided his head in six and drank all krittikaa's milk with his six mouths. When he became six days old, Brahmaa Jee appointed him as the General of Devtaa's army. All Devtaa gave him their special weapons and powers to fight with Taarakaasur.

Adorned with proper regalia of an Army general and carrying all kinds of weapons, Kaarttikeya set off to fight with Taaraakaasur. When Taarakaasur saw an infant coming towards his city along with his army, he thought who was this child who was coming to him with such a bravery. Thinking and thinking, he remembered about his boon and he knew that it was not a child, it was his Kaal (Death). he himself came out of the city and fought with him. In  the last he was killed by Kaarttikeya.

Ganesh Jee is his younger brother. There are many stories of Kaarttikeya.