 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 Shaiva 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 Vaishnava 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 . 
