As a family man and householder, he has a wife, Parvati and two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. His epithet "Umāpati" ("The husband of "Umā"") refers to this idea, and Sharma notes that two other variants of this name that mean the same thing, "Umākānta" and "Umādhava", also appear in the "sahasranama". "Umā" in epic literature is known by many names, including the benign "Pārvatī". She is identified with Devi, the Divine Mother; Shakti (divine energy) as well as goddesses like Tripura Sundari, Durga, Kali, Kamakshi and Minakshi. The consorts of Shiva are the source of his creative energy. They represent the dynamic extension of Shiva onto this universe. His son Ganesha is worshipped throughout India and Nepal as the Remover of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles. Kartikeya is worshipped in South India (especially in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) by the names Subrahmanya, Subrahmanyan, Shanmughan, Swaminathan and Murugan, and in Northern India by the names Skanda, Kumara, or Karttikeya.