Lord Subramanya is the son of divine couple Shiva and Parvati, to destroy the demon Tarakasura. Before conceiving him, even these Parents of the World had to perform severe Tapas or austerities! This teaches the world, of the great need for Tapas on the part of the parents desirous of excellence of offspring. He is stated to have been born in a forest of arrow-like grass and reared by the six divine mothers of the constellation Krttika (Pleiades), hence the name ‘Karthikeya’.