Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Muruga
By
His articles are popular in “The Young World section” of THE HINDU
His e-books on nature, environment, festivals and different cultures of
people around the world are educative and of special interest to the young.
His e-books – Guide to 108 Divya Desams, Guide to 275 Siva Sthalams,
Ganesha, Pilgrimage to Narasimhaswami shetrams, Tirupati Gangamma,
Vision of Sri Madhwacharya and Guru Raghavendra, The Path of Ramanuja,
Guide to Kancheepuram and Hinduism in a nutshell have been well received
in the religious circle. He was associated in the renovation and production of
two Documentary films on Nava Tirupathi Temples, and Tirukkurungudi
Temple in Tamilnadu.
Acknowledgement:
It is written in Skanda Puranam that Saint Vasista has said that if one
worships Lord Muruga on Friday and fasts on that day, all his wishes will
get fulfilled. Lord Muruga was brought up by Karthigai maids. By
Worshipping Him on the Karthigai star day and observing a fast, one’s
problems will be removed and one will be liberated. This was a wish granted
by Lord Shiva Himself to the Karthigai maids
Murugan worship was prevalent at least as early as 10th century B.C, as per
the Archaeological findings in Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu. Tolkappiyam,
written by the most ancient Sangam poet Nakkeerar, dated 3rd century BC,
glorified Murugan," the red God seated on the blue peacock, as "the
favoured god of the Tamils." Tamil Sangam Literature mentions Murugu as
a nature spirit worshipped with animal sacrifices and associated with a non-
Brahminical priest known as a Velan, a name later used to refer to the deity
himself.
The Skanda purana narrates that Shiva first wed Dakshayani (also named
Sati), the grand daughter of Brahma, and the daughter of Dhaksha. Daksha
never liked Shiva, who, symbolizing destruction and detachment, begs for
food, dances in a graveyard smeared with ashes, and has no possessions, not
even good clothes for himself. Once Daksha publicly insults Shiva in a
Yagna ceremony, and Dakshayani unable to withstand her father’s action
immolates herself at the Daksha Yagna, which was later destroyed by Shiva.
Shiva withdrew himself from the universe and engaged himself in yogic
meditation in the Himalayas. Sati was reborn as Uma, or Parvati the
daughter of the mountain king Himavaan (the Himalayas).
In the meanwhile, Surapadman (an asura) ravaged the earth and tormented
its beings. It was realized by the gods that only the son born of Shiva could
lead the gods to victory over, Surapadman, Tarakasuran and their
companions. They plotted with Kamadeva, to shoot a flower arrow at Shiva,
as he sat in meditation, so as to make him fall in love with Parvati. When
Kama aimed his arrow, Shiva opened his third eye and burned Kama to
ashes instantly.
The sparks of the fiery seed of Shiva were unbearable. Even the fire God
Agni could not bear them while this fire was then transported by the river
Ganga into the Saravana forest into a pond called the Saravana Poigai
(located at the mouths of river Ganga). The sparks turned into six children,
who were raised by the six Krittika or Kartika - the stars that make up the
Pleiades, earning the name Karthikeya. Parvati combined these six babies
into one with six faces, i.e. Shanmukha or Arumugan. Since he was born in
the Saravana he was also called 'Saravanabhava'. In this form Lord Muruga
is known as Shanmukha or Arumuga Swami.
The three integral elements of Muruga's personality are spear (vel) in His
hand, peacock as His mount and cock adorning His banner. Vel signifies
Gnanasakti (power of wisdom); this was given to Muruga by His Divine
Mother Parvati wishing Him victory over asuras led by the tyrannous
Surapadma. The glittering spear of Muruga is venerated by devotees as Sakti
Vel or Veera Vel signifying its extraordinary power and strength.
Cock and peacock represent nada and bindu. The peacock displays the
divine shape of Omkara when it spreads its magnificent plumes into a full-
blown circular form, while the cock proclaims loudly the Pranava sound
OM. Muruga shines as the very essence of the Vedas and mantras. Muruku
in Tamil denotes divineness, handsomeness, youthfulness, happiness,
fragrance and sweetness. The Lord is the very manifestation of
handsomeness, robust youthfulness, masculinity, fragrance and unmatched
valour and the abode of happiness. One would be endowed with everlasting
youthfulness only when he or she is not getting old. Human beings take birth
in this earth, pass through different stages such as childhood, adolescence,
adulthood and old age and ultimately meet with the inevitable death. They
are again born in this world not necessarily in the same form as they were in
their previous births. This process goes on endlessly. Muruga, on the other
hand, has neither a beginning nor an end. Age does not wither Him away.
This explains His evergreen youthfulness. As the sun is not visible to us
temporarily at night and for this reason one cannot conclude that the sun has
ceased to exist. When darkness engulfs a part of the globe, the sun is
shining bright somewhere else. We come to know of its existence when it
rises again in the morning. Muruga's 'appearance' on this planet is analogous
to this eternal phenomenon.
Kartikeya symbols are based on the weapons - Vel, the Divine Spear or
Lance that He carries and His mount the peacock. He is sometimes depicted
with many weapons including: a sword, a javelin, a mace, a discus and a
bow although more usually he is depicted wielding a sakti or spear. This
symbolizes His purification of human ills. His javelin is used to symbolize
His far reaching protection, His discus symbolizes His knowledge of the
truth, His mace represents His strength and His bow shows His ability to
defeat all ills. His peacock mount symbolizes his destruction of the ego.
His six heads represent the six siddhis bestowed upon yogis over the course
of their spiritual development. This corresponds to his role as the bestower
of siddhis. His six heads represent the five sense organs and the mind, which
co-ordinates their activities. When these are controlled, refined and
sublimated, man becomes a superman. This is the implication of the
symbology.
Though it is the same energy that flows through all the six centers, in the
case of an ordinary human being, it is concentrated in the three lowest
centers. In a perfect being the flow is so refined and uniform, that practically
all the centers have been elevated to the highest level. Subrahmanya
represents this perfected state of spiritual consciousness.
Muruga has continued to be popular with all classes of society right from the
Sangam age. This has led to more elaborate accounts of his mythology in the
Tamil language, culminating in the Tamil version, called Kandha
Puraanam, written by Kacchiappa Sivachariyar (1350-1420 AD.) of Kumara
Kottam in the city of Kancheepuram.
Murugan is venerated throughout the Tamil year. There is a six day period
of fast and prayer in the Tamil month of Aippasi known as the Skanda
Shasti. He is worshipped on Thaipusam, near the full moon of the Tamil
month Thai, being celebrated by Tamil communities worldwide. This
commemorates the day he was given a Vel or lance by his mother in order to
vanquish the asuras. Thirukarthigai or the full moon of the Tamil month of
Karthigai signifies his birth. Each Tuesday of the Tamil month of Adi is also
dedicated to the worship of Murugan. Tuesday in the Hindu tradition
connotes Mangala, the god of planet Mars and war.
Devotees carrying kavadis also use Vel. The very word vel has the mystic
powers of invoking the grace of Murugan and therefore devotees chant "Vel,
Vel", "Veera Vel", "Gnana Vel", "and Shakthi Vel".
Murugan is popularly depicted as having six faces
and twelve arms. The poets like to address Him as "Arumugan" - Lord of Six
Faces.
The sacred functions of Murugan as having six faces are described as:
• One face sheds rays of Light and removes the dense darkness
shrouding the world;
• One face with gracious look lovingly showers boons on his devotees
who praise Him with Love and Joy;
• One face watches over the sacrifices of the Brahmans who perform
them without deviating from the strict Vedic traditions;
• One face like full moon, which brightens all the quarters of the world,
lights the sages' minds to enable them to search for hidden Truth;
• One face smiles lovingly on His young consort, the pretty daughter of
the hunting tribe
Fasting is being observed while worshipping Muruga, as it keeps the mind
alert, and to gain greater control over the involuntary muscles. Through
fasting one can improve his discipline and increase his will power. It also
helps him to be pure in thought.
The person who carries the kavadi should be in a state of extra ordinary
purity attained by means of fasting for a certain period of time. It is often
said that a forty-eight day (mandalam) fast is required but most devotees fast
for lesser periods. The devotee should be on a strict vegetarian diet
abstaining from all kinds of pollution (theetu) such as abstaining from sex,
sleeping on the floor and eating from his own private utensils. He should not
shave and if inauspicious events such as death were to occur he should not
even participate in the function as the pollution would cling to him however
vigorous his fast had been.
Fasting is thus not just limited to the intake of food but include the
temporary renunciation of all physical pleasures and luxuries. Through his
abstinence the devotee disciplines his body and mind and enters into a whole
realm of spiritualism. It is a personal experience between him and Lord
Murgan.
The usual Kavadi is a small wooden structure with an arch covered with a
piece of cloth and is held on shoulders. The two sides of the Kavadi are
covered with feathers of peacock – the vehicle of Lord Muruga. The sides
also contain two bags to carry offerings to the Lord. Some devotees beg at
houses to collect the offerings to the Lord. But today most people fill the
bags on their own.
The person who takes the Kavadi should observe certain austerities. The
austerities start with food. Most Kavadi bearers avoid non-vegetarian food,
liquor and other intoxicating objects. Orange and yellow are the preferred
dress color. These colors are associated with Lord Muruga. The person on
the day of journey holds a cane in his hand.
Today, artistic talent comes to the fore when it comes displaying Kavadis
and the shape and structure of Kavadis have undergone sea change.
Different types of Kavadi are offered by devotees at the Batu Cave Temple
in Malaysia. And some of latest Kavadis are mindboggling.
People piercing their body with hooks, skewers and (vel) small lances of all
these changes, even today one finds people taking the simple traditional
Kavadi and begging in South India to go to Palani Temple in Tamil Nadu,
is a common sight. In the beginning people only used to pierce their tongue
with a small vel - this was a means to meditate by keeping silent. The vel
was used to create a forceful means for Mauna Vratam - remaining silent. In
the beginning it was a simple innocent offering done by Muruga Devotees.
But today in some instances, Lord Muruga devotees pull heavy chariots with
hooks attached to their bodies - this is a very recent trend.
Such practices are not mentioned in Hindu Holy Scriptures. In Holy books,
body is quite often mentioned as the temple in which Brahman resides. ‘Vel’
was presented to Lord Muruga by Mother Parvati to vanquish the demons
and not to pierce his body. Even the stories associated with taking Kavadi
have nothing to with body piercing.
But piercing cheeks and tongue with ‘vel’ is a common
practice by devotees of Lord Muruga. Piercing of the tongue is done to stop
the speech and thereby to concentrate fully on the Lord. Most people
perform such piercing to fulfill their wishes. They believe that Muruga will
be easily pleased, if the degree of such antics is increased. Ignorance of the
basic tenants of Hinduism is the reason behind such practices. People get
nothing but mental satisfaction and body pain from such piercing
But these practices have been taking place for thousands of years and several
symbolisms have been attached to these practices. In Malaysia, it goes a
step forward and some devotees pull heavy objects up the BatuCaves using
hooks attached to the body.
Most devotees enter into a trance during the piercing mainly due to the
excessive drumming and chanting. They claim that they experience no pain
during piercing and even after the ritual.
Rituals are like blankets that veil the truth. They are nets to trap our
intellect, forcing us to confine our consciousness to the superficial values of
the manifest world. The thinking of a person who believes exclusively in
ritual practices becomes confined to this little world. Subtle thoughts of the
mind and tender feelings of heart become outward oriented. Such a person
begins to believe that everything can be accomplished with the help of
rituals.
Most of the Murugar temples are located on top of small hills and he is also
known as the Kundra Kadavul (Lord who is seated on a hill, kundru - hill).
Muruga's abodes are countless.
The main temples of Murugan are located in Southern India. They include
the Aru Padaiveedu (six houses - rather, military camps in his campaign
against asuras) - Thiruchendur, Swamimalai, Pazhamudircholai,
Thirupparangunram, Palani (Pazhani), Thiruthani - A vivid portrayal of
these six sacred places is found in the opera Tirumurugatruppadai composed
by Nakkeerar, the famed poet.
Tirupparangundrum
Sri Subramaniya Swami Temple is located at Thiruparangundram, a small
town near Madirai of Tamilnadu.
At the entrance to this shrine, there are 48 pillars with artistic carvings. A
seven tier gopuram above the Kalyana Mandapam is sculpturally beautiful.
In the sanctum, there are five cells, each enshrining a deity. In the central
shrines, we worship Muruga, Durga and Vinayaka. Brahma, Indra, Surya
and Chandra are depicted above these images. In the two cells facing each
other, there are images of Vishnu with Sridevi and Bhoodevi and a Lingam
respectively.
Legend has it that, Lord Subramanya married Valli who belong to the
Vallimalai nearby. Another legend associated with this temple is that Skanda
bore a discus thrown by the furious asura Tarakasuran, on his chest, and
hence there is a hole in the chest region of the image of Subramanya in this
temple. It is believed that Skanda gifted the discus to Vishnu.
Legend also has it that Indra the king of the Gods gave his daughter
Deivayanai in marriage to Skanda, and along with her presented his elephant
Airavatam as part of his dowry offering. Upon Airavatam’s departure Indra
found his wealth waning. Subramanya is said to have offered to return the
white elephant. However Indra bound by protocol refused to accept a gift
that he had made, and insisted that that the elephant face his direction, hence
the image of the elephant in this temple also faces the east.
Another legend has it that Indra presented a sandal stone as a part of his
daughter’s dowry. The sandal paste made on this stone is applied to the
image of Subramanya and the applied paste is said to acquire medicinal
value.
After a prolonged and fierce fight with asuras, the anger of Muruga was
cooled down as He reached Tiruttani. At nearby Vallimalai, Muruga married
Valli, the tribal girl who worshipped him and later he came to Tiruttani.
Nambi Rajah, the tribal chieftain of Vallimalai had seven sons, but no
daughter. He wished intensely to have one. As an ardent devotee of Muruga,
he started some penances for this. Siva Muni was a sage living in the same
forest. Once, while he was walking in the forest, he happened to see a deer.
As inevitable turn of fate would have it, by the mere sight of the Seer, the
deer conceived a female human child.
Nambi, who was hunting in the forest with his sons was surprised to see a
cute baby girl in the wilderness. The kind tribal king was, however glad and
considered that he had been blessed by the Lord Himself with this precious
child. With tender care, he took the baby and brought her up. Since she was
found among the creepers (valli), she was named Valli.
Due to the impressions left of her past life, Valli developed a deep devotion
to Muruga from her young age. When she was a beautiful young woman, her
whole mind was occupied with the thoughts of Muruga and she decided that
she will marry him alone and none else. As his foster daughter now
approached the age of marriage, Nambi sent her to perform ‘tinaippunam’, a
custom among the tribals. The girl, as per this custom, had to sit in a rostrum
high above the ground and scare away birds and other animals that tried to
destroy the crops till the harvest time.
Narada, the divine sage knew the past, present and future. The clever Seer
came to Valli and told her that she should marry Muruga and none else. The
words of the sage were like nectar to the innocent girl, but she didn’t know
how to find her bridegroom.
Narada, the creator of destiny for many a divine event, lost no time and met
Muruga who was relaxing at Tiruttani after his long battle with the asura
Soorapadman at Tiruchendur. The sage reminded Muruga of his promise to
the two maidens Amruta Valli and Sundara Valli and added that Sundara
Valli was now living at Vallimalai as a tribal maiden Valli. He told the
young god that the beautiful girl was living only to get married to Him and
this was right time to seek her hand in marriage.
Muruga sensed it was time for Him to honour his promise and soon started
to Vallimalai. He appeared before Valli as a hunter. The girl’s mind was
absorbed in Muruga and failed to recognize the disguised hunter! At this
time, Nambi came there, and it was quick for Muruga to transform himself
into a venkai tree. Soon he understood he had to be cautious. This time he
transformed himself into an old man and approached Valli. “I am hungry,
give me some food”, asked the old man. The kind girl offered him some
flour mixed with honey. “Will you marry me?” asked the old man. It was too
much for poor Valli. She wanted Muruga and here was an old man
proposing to her! She turned away.
The matter was soon informed to the kurava king Nambi and his sons. They
all agreed to this holy union. Muruga soon married Valli at Vallimalai.
Tiruchendur
The seashore temple of Subrahmanyam at Tiruchendur is one of the
delightful spots sanctified and venerated by every Hindu. As one of the first
spiritual centres for the salvation of man, His shrine has been an attraction
for Hindus for ages. This sacred house of God is in the extreme southwest of
the Indian peninsula. The rising sun bows in adoration of it each morning as
he rises from the rippling expanse of the ocean, and spreads light and life
over every living object.
Lord Muruga’s association with Tiruchendur is highly significant. It is
described in extenso in His epic, the Skanda Puranam. The young Muruga as
the Devasenâpati vanquishes evil in the form of Surapadman. The Tamils
have ever since been celebrating the event as an annual festival during
Skanda Sashti.
Tiruchentil means as it does, the House of Victory. It borders the sea and has
all the natural charm of a hero’s fortress. It is verily a haven of Peace and
Bliss. The Tamils in this part of the peninsula have such an attraction for the
place and its presiding Lord Arumuga Nayinar.
Swami Malai
Swamimalai is a sylvan village, situated about five kilometers west of
Kumbakonam on the banks of a tributary of river Cauvery.
Once when Brahma, the lord of all creations was proceeding to Kailasa, the
ever-playful child Lord Muruga asked him for the meaning of the Pranava
OM. When Brahma admitted his ignorance, the Lord imprisoned him. With
Brahma imprisoned, all creations came to a standstill and the devas prayed
to Lord Siva to get Brahma released. When Muruga insisted that the
imprisonment was a just punishment for the ignorance of Brahma, Lord Siva
asked him whether he himself knew the meaning of the primordial Pranava
OM. Lord Muruga said that he knew the meaning of OM and can expound it
to the latter only if he can accept him as guru and listen to the exposition as
a devoted disciple. As Lord Siva acceded to the request of Lord Muruga and
heard the exposition of OM as a disciple, the place came to be known as
Swamimalai and the presiding deity as Swaminathan.
Midway up the steps is a life-sized icon depicting Lord Muruga imparting
the Pranava Mantram to his divine father Lord Shiva who assumes a posture
of folded hands and bowed head before his guru. In the sanctum sanctorum
the presiding deity is represented by a six foot tall granite icon in a standing
posture offering darshan to all his devotees
The temple is built on an artificial hillock of about sixty feet height with
sixty beautifully laid stone steps representing the Hindu cycle of sixty years
– leading to the Lord. In the ground floor there are temples dedicated to Lord
Sundareswarer and Goddesss Meenakshi. Hymns in praise of the presiding
deity have been sung by saint Nakkeerar in Tirumurukatrupadaiand by Saint
Arunagirnathar in Tiruppukazh.
Pazhamudircholai
At the top of the hill, is Noopura Ganga, a perennial waterfall with a temple
dedicated to Raakkayi Amman. The Noopura Ganga atop the hill is said to
originated from the anklet of Tirumal or Visnu and hence the name of the
spring. It is said that sitting in the madavi mandapa near the spring saint
Ilangovadigal wrote one of the five mahakavyas in Tamil, viz.,
Cilappatikaram. Even today the place is very fertile with many trees and
different flora and fauna, a standing testimony to the vivid description of the
place’s natural beauty as found in Tirumurugattruppadai of Nakkeerar.
This hill is also known as Vrishabhadri or Idabagiri. Atop the hill Lord
Muruga stands majestically in the temple as the Lord of the Hills popularly
known as Kurinji Nilakkizhavan in Tamil.
The great Tamil poet and saint Avvaiyar had been tested by Lord Murga
here. In order to play with Avvaiyar who was one of the very famous
devotees of Lord Muruga, the Lord played a drama. One day Avvaiyar
became tired while travelling because of very hot summer and so came
under the shadow of a fruit tree. She was very hungry and thirsty. At that
time, a small boy who was sitting on the tree asked her whether she wanted
fruits from the tree. Avvaiyar told that she wanted fruits. At that time the
boy asked Avvaiyar whether she wanted roasted fruits or unroasted fruits.
Avvaiyar who was a famous Tamil poet, litterateur and having in-depth
knowledge in Tamil thought,” Is there any roasted fruit in the world?" and
decided that the small boy didn't have knowledge even about a fruit. But, as
she was very tired, she didn't want to argue with the small boy and asked
him to pick roasted fruits for her. The boy shook the tree and so fruits fell
under the tree. The mud under the tree had stuck on the fruit. Avvaiyar took
the fruits and blew on the fruit to remove the mud. It was observed that as
the fruits were roasted and had become warm, Avvaiyar had blown the fruits
to cool them. At that time, the small boy asked Avvaiyar whether the fruits
were warm? Avvaiyar was astonished, "How had a small village cowboy
played such an intelligent drama? She had thought that the small boy had no
knowledge about fruits and how the fruits in the tree may become roasted
fruits. But blowing the air on the fruit to remove the mud is like blowing air
to reduce the heat as the fruit is roasted. What a beautiful comparison. Such
a beautiful comparison would not have risen in her mind even though she
had gained rich knowledge in Tamil." She asked the small boy, "Who are
you actually?" The small boy disappeared and in his place, Lord Muruga
appeared. Now Avvaiyar realized that it was a play of God and she
understood that there were more and more things that she had to learn. She
bowed to Lord Muruga and requested him to bestow her with bountiful
knowledge
Though the sthala is of ancient origin, the temple as in existence today was
constructed only recently. From days of yore Vel has been worshipped as the
moolavar or main deity. The idol of Lord Muruga in a standing posture has a
single face and four hands with Valli and Teyvayanai on both sides. The Vel
made up of stone is of special significance and is worshipped with a great
veneration by devotees.
Palani
The temple at Palani is an ancient one, situated at an elevation of 1500 feet
above sea level. The deity of Palani Murugan is known as Dandayudhapani
Swami, the Lord having the Staff in his Hand.
One also gets to see the “Pathala Vinayakar” temple and the Meenakshi
Sundareshwarar temple enroute the hill top. There are two broad Praharams
in the hill top temple. Idols of Vallabha Vinayakar, Subramanya Vinayakar,
Nakkerar, Arunagirinathar can be seen in the second Praharam that houses
the Nayakkar Mandapam. The Rajagopuram is composed of five tiers.
Bypassing the Paravel Mandapam and Navaranga Mandapam, one can
approach the sanctum sanctorum of Dhandayuthapani.
There is a sannidhi for Bhogar who was a saint who dedicated himself to
Lord Muruga and contributed immensely.
There is a legend how Lord Murugan came to this sacred spot. Narada Muni,
brought a golden mango to the divine court of Lord Siva when Lord Siva
was seated with his consort Parvati and His children Lord Vinayakar and
Lord Subrahmanya. Narada gave the fruit to Lord Siva and implored Him to
eat since it was a rare, miraculous gnanapazham - the fruit of wisdom. As a
loving husband, Lord Siva gave it to Parvati and requested her to eat. As a
loving mother, she wanted to give the fruit to her children. As there was only
one fruit and it should not be cut, they announced a contest and said that the
winner whoever completes one round of the globe first, will be given the
fruit.
Lord Subramanya is the major deity among the Thiyyas of northern Kerala.
There are many temples dedicated to Lord Subramanya in Kerala.
Amongst them, the most important ones are Payyannur Subramanya Swamy
temple in Payyanur and the Subramanya temple in Haripad Payyanur Shri
Subramanya Swami temple is considered as mini-Palani. The astrology and
Ganitha, Prashna Shastra Jyothish developed here, all because of
Subramanya swami, who is also called "Jyotishathin-Kaadaleee" meaning
the Lord of Astrology. Best Known astrologers of this day are from
payyanur.
Lord Subramanya is worshipped with utmost
devotion in districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the state of
Karnataka. Rituals like nagaradhane are unique to this region. In Tulu Nadu
there is the temple called Kukke Subramanya Temple. There Lord Murugan
is worshipped as the Lord of the serpents. Aaslesha Bali, Sarpa Samskara
with nagaprathista samarpa are major prayers here.
The sweet, nectar-like water that it holds is pure and untouched by the
human hand. The tree draws from its very base to its highest level. The
coarsely knit outer fibers of the coconut represent the jealousy, greed, lust,
selfishness and other vices of man, which must be broken up and removed if
one is to penetrate and reach the white inner purity and thereafter taste the
sweet untouched nectar of spiritual purity and bliss.
No other fruit has the three distinct eyes of the coconut. These symbolise the
Trinity of Evolution - Creation, Preservation and Dissolution. The eyes also
represent the three eyes of man - the two physical eyes plus the third or
'inner eye' can penetrate the false, outer facade and reach the ultimate truth.
It alone distinguishes right from wrong.
Having been offered to God by way of prayer, the coconut is then eaten by
Hindus as blessed food or prasadh in the belief that it has now received
divine vibrations from God and will therefore give us good health and
prosperity.
When used in prayer with the manthras, it becomes highly potent, wards off
evil, overcomes problems and brings happiness, peace and harmony to the
individual as well as the household. Its power is truly dynamic.
The ash is the creation of the element fire, which dissolves everything. Thus
the sacred ash dissolves all our ills and brings us good health, peace and
prosperity.
Sashti is the day the Lord Subramanya defeated the demon Soorapadma and
saved the Earth from his evils. The devas, who were tormented by
Soorapadman, rejoiced - they praised the Lord and prayed to him for six
days.
Kaappu / Venpa
Protection
Kavacham
Armour
Come Oh Lord,
With decorations of nine gems in your forehead,
With pretty ear rings shining in your twelve ears,
With several ornaments and pendant shining.
In thine, handsome trunk with twelve arms,
And with the garland of nine gems inlaid with precious stones.
Come Oh Lord,
With the holy three stringed thread,
With your chest decorated with pearls,
With your very pretty abdomen which has been praised,
With silken sash and girdle around your waist,
And with nine gems chain adorning your silken robes,
with the beauty of the two thighs and adjoining knees,
ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra
ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri
du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du
dagu dagu digu digu dangu dingugu
vinthu vinthu mayilon vinthu
Come Oh Lord,
With anklets in thine holy feet,
Which make jingling sounds, like,
Oh Lord who rides the peacock, come quickly.
Let his flowing Vel protect me all the sections of the night,
Let his craft Vel protect me from delays,
Let the golden Vel protect and protect,
Let it be seen quickly and quickly,
Let it strike and strike and remove all my problems.