By Kumar Punithavel
[monsoonJournal.com]
The Tamil month Vaikasi is in the tail end of the early summer season. The full moon of this month in South India and north Sri Lanka will shine bright, in clear night sky giving a hallowed enchanting beauty under the Visagam star. Saivaites, Vaishnavites and Buddhists hold this day in high esteem. While for Saivites it is the day of the descent of Lord Muruga, for Vaishanavites it is the Nammazhwar and for Buddhists it is the day of nativity, enlightenment and Maha samathi of Lord Buddah.
The descent of Lord Muruga was in answer to the prayer by deva’s to rid of adharma caused by three assura brothers, Soorapatman, Singamuhasuran and Tarakasuran. These brothers obtained great powers through intense penance and were harassing deva’s. The deva’s appealed to Lord Shiva for help. Tradition has it that Shiva emitted six sparks of fire from the third eye, which were carried by Agni and Vayu to Ganga which pushed them into Saravanapoikai which was filled with lotus and reeds. In the lake the sparks became six divine children and were nursed by six Karthigai maidens. These children were embraced by Lord Shiva’s divine consort Shakthi and became one with six faces and twelve hands and thus descended Lord Shanmugan.
The legend further states that he went to war with the assuras and vanquished the three demons with the lance (Vel) given to him by his divine mother. He then took Indran the king of deva’s daughter Thevayanai as his consort. After that he took Valli Amman the daughter of a hunter as his cosort too.
The great Tamil epic Kanthapuranam gives the story of Lord Murugan. Kanthan is another name for Murugan. The word Kanthu in Tamil means to be tied or bundled. As the six babies were bundled into one by his divine mother he got this name. Another explanation given is that instead of killing the evil assura soorapathman he tied his ego and made him to become a peacock and used it to carry him!
Kanthapuranam is a classic example of a great allegory in Tamil Hindu literature explaining the Tamils theological philosophy Saiva Sadandam. Effulgence of divine in the lake with its lotus flowers and reeds symbolically refers to what happens to each of us. As light and life this reality abides in us. The six faces of Shanmugam represent the six facets of ours. These are body, breath, senses, mind, intelligence and ego.
As per Siddandam pasam or bondage that prevent us enjoying the divine experience of bliss. Pasam literally means rope. It keeps the soul down to evil and prevents it from attaining beatitude. Passam is of three kinds. They are Anavam, Kanmam and Mayai.
The three assuras in the Kandapuranam refers to these pasams. Killing of the assuras with the vel refers to getting rid of this pasam with knowledge.
[Sri Sivasubramaniya Swamy Temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka]
The vel or lance is sharp in the edge then broad and finally long or deep. Knowledge too should be sharp, broad and deep! His taking Theivanai Amman as his consort after the war full action refers to the Kiriya Sakthi, meaning power of action. His taking Valli Amman because of a great penance of love and desire refers to Icha Sakthi. Icha Sakthi means power of desire. When we see at the sanctum sanctorum, the statue of lord Murugan standing between Valli Amman and Theivanai Amman having the Vel in his right hand, it should remind us for our successful life we must have desire, knowledge and action! Let us all celebrate Vaikasi Vsakam as the day when God in his infinite kindness came down as Lord Murugan.
Buddhist, celebrate Vaikasi pournami as Vesak, the day Gaudama Buddha was born, gained enlightenment and finally attained Maha samathi.
To contact Kumar Punithavel;
kumarpunithavel@yahoo.com