The presence of the two consorts is said to denote the dual nature of Murugan, as the god of heaven and earth. Devasena, the celestial wife, is married in a traditional arranged marriage while the earthy Valli is won by Murugan, resulting in a love marriage. The consorts also represent a syncretism between Shaiva and Vaishnava sects, dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu respectively. The son of Shiva, Kartikeya, becomes the son-in-law of Vishnu, due to the marriages. Both the consorts are identified with the soul (Atman), while their husband (pati, Lord) represents God. The marriage of Devasena conveys Vaishnava ideals, where the soul (Devasena) remains detached from God; she has her own relative autonomy and earns the love of the god by her own merit. In contrast, the Shaiva philosophy says that God is attached to the soul (Valli) and hence he woos her. The Paripatal contains a Tamil panegyric dedicated to Murugan. It praises him as the god who is allowed to have two wives, Devasena - the daughter of Indra and Valli, a hunter princess. Murugan is described to equally spend his time on earth and in heaven. This is also conveyed by his wives, Devasena is a daughter of the heavens, while Valli is an earthly maiden.