The Sashti virtham followed by Soorasamharam and the divine Murugar Thirukalyanam was one of the auspicious event which teaches us to shape human mind to be resilient over storms.The virtham was truly believed and practised by majority peoples of Tamilnadu and all over the world.
THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD MURUGAR
The Lord Shiva created The Lord Murugar from his third eye and gifted him the divine vel (spear).He was identified as karthikeya in the north of India.The Lord Murugar was descented to destroy the demon soorapadman and his brothers who terrorized the world.It’s not only about the cosmic battle, but also to destroy the evil which haunting the minds of people deep inside. Sashti refers to the sixth lunar day of the bright fortnight.It starts during the Tamil month of (Aippasi) October- November. The virtham was rigorously undertaken by complete fasts for 6 consistent days, chanting kanda sasthi kavasam for 36 times per day of 6 days and visit temples during these six days.The purpose of the virtham is to seek Lord Murugan’s blessings for the removal of sins, obstacles and negativity.
Soorapadman is a powerful demon and best known as packed antagonist, particularly mentioned in Skanda purana.His father was a sage called Kashyapa and asura sorceress maya. Through intense penance, he received a boon that no one can defeat him except the power of The Lord Shiva. Looking in depth Soorapadman terrorized the universe and heavens (Devaloka) and the three worlds due to unstoppable ego fueled by attraction of wordly things and the desire to dominate the ultimate control and power.At some point of time Soorapadman believes himself as completely immortal.To save the world and heavens from this evil oppression, The Lord Shiva entered into a deep meditative state. He discharged six divine sparks of fire, from his trinay.These sparks carried supreme cosmic energy and were too hot to hold by anyone.The Lord Shiva ordered Agni dev & Vayu dev to hold them and they transported the sparks to the river Ganga who carries the spark to a sequestered pond named Saravana poigai filled with lotus blossoms.As the spark nears the waters of Saravana poigai, they transformed into six beautiful boy babys as each baby on a separate Lotus leaf.
The Lord shiva appointed six divine sylphs known as the Karthikai maidens to take care of the babies.After sometime Goddess parvati came to the pond and embraced all six childs and fused into one single child with six heads and Tweleve arms known as Shanmuga.The six faces of Lord Murugar has intense meaning as explained below
· THE FIRST FACE – shines as a bright glowing ray that dispels the deep darkness of the world.
· THE SECOND FACE – solaces his devotees with kind blessings and listens their pains and prayers.
· THE THIRD FACE – gazes over the priest and sages who perform sacred vedic practices.
· THE FOURTH FACE –Mirroring the calmness of full moon and governs deep wisdom and truth to devotees.
· THE FIFTH FACE – leading & ensuring the universe towards higher consciousness, spiritual and cosmic laws.
· THE SIXTH FACE – symbolizing humility and groundedness having unconditional love and kindness towards devottes.
The Goddess Parvathi gifted the lord Murugar a vel to defeat Soorapadman. There begins the war between the good and the evil.
THE MASSIVE WAR
The war happened in high intensity for continuous six days.During the first day, the war was initiated by the lord Murugar and his divine army headed with his commander-in-chief, veerabahu.He stroded towards mahendrapuri (soorapadman’s castle) and assembled his military camp in the shores of Thiruchendur (Now exactly in district of thoothukudi in Tamilnadu).The next day, the massive battle exploded and the Soorapadman’s younger brother Tarakasura (The forces of delusion/illusion) was killed by the Lord Murugar.In the third day,Soorapadman started aggressively expressing his teriffiying generals and magical forces.But the Lord Murugar comphrensively destroyed the assymmetric warface and tactics positioned by the asuras in the battlefield.In the start of fourth day, The Lord murugar brutally clashed the Banugopan (The forces of bad karma/desires)who was the powerful son of Soorapadman.
THE VICTORY OVER EVIL
There came the last 2 days of the war, where in the fifth day, The lion faced Simhamukha (brother of Soorapadman) confronted with the lord Murugar.Despite of all torments of simhamukha, with all supreme powers Murugar defeated him and isolated Soorapadman.Now comes the climax of the war,The Soorasamharam day expected by all humans,wildlife species and peoples of Devaloga with extreme agony anticipating a relief from the evil.On the sixth day the Samaharam begins with exorbitant battle. The war was prolonged by soorapadman(The forces of ultimate ego) by adopting different shapeshifting magics to confuse Murugar.But the god of triumph, the superhero of the story, The lord Murugar threw vel against Soorapadman and splitted the demon into two parts converting them as sacred peacock (divine vehicle of Murugar)and the rooster(victory flag).The entire universe celebrated the event as a festival where the evil was demolished and it also symbolizes that when the divine devastates human ego, The soul is not botched, it is purified and taken into the service of God.
THE GRAND WEDDING
After the war, to exude overwhelming gratitude,King Indra offered his daughter Goddess Devasena.It was the grand wedding (Thirukalyanam) took place in Tiruparangkundram. Even today the soorasamharam and Thirukalayanam lavishly and pompously happening in Thiruchendur and all parts of the Tamilnadu.The Lord Murugar fulfilling the core objective of his inception, conserving the universe from asuras, Murugar returned back to his peaceful, compassionate form.He settled at various divine hills(Aarupadai veedu) to bless his worshippers who supported his victory through their six days of fast.After marrying devasena,Lord murugar travelled to Thirutani where he went to make himself calm after the war and found peace after six days of hard battle.while resting in the hills, Murugar fulfils a divine promise which was made in past to Goddess Valli, who was born on earth in the Kurinji region.But actually his marriage represents the spiritual power as Goddess Devasena(Kriya sakthi)the power of cosmic energy,Goddess Valli(Iccha sakthi)the power of emotions & love, The Vel(Jhana sakthi)the power of ultimate wisdom.
THE ACTUAL DEFEAT
In deep what was really defeated by Lord Murugan, Is it a human having blood and shed, actually it is no.The concentration of the Lord Murugar is to prove the world that by destroying arrogance, ego, bad actions, materialistic attachment, pride and adharma in the mentality of human behaviour, the athma can transforms itself into pure happiness. The morality that Lord Murugar teaches us not to destroy enemies but to kill the cruelty and oppression of the opponent. After defeating Soorpadman, the lord Murugar didn’t hated him besides he accepted as his own companion as peacock, this clearly explains the unconditional love of Murugar towards Soorapadman.
WHO IS THE LORD MURUGAR
The lord Murugar is the god who answers prayers immediately and make them feel his presence in the middle of the arduous challenges.In tamil there is lot of sayings about Murugar like “vel undu vinai ilai, mayil undu bayamillai, kandan undu kavalai ila manamae” meaning with the spear( vel)there are no hardships, with peacock there is no fear, with Murugar we have no tribulations and the other popular sayings in Tamil “yam iruka bayamen” means like why you get fear when iam with you?, The lord Murugar gives splendid confidence to the devotees who truly believes in him and experiencing multiple miracles till now. During kanda sashti, depends upon the potential, people used to fasts like not consuming non-veg during sashti or simple food without onion and garlic, or fasts complete 6 days or by taking one pepper a day, and 2 on the next day for 6 days or drinking water or only milk and fruits or by liquid fasts.
During this period, devotees used to visit Thiruchendur and stay there for complete six days and consumes boiled rice specifically prepared and sold near temple of Thiruchendur for the devotees. On the continuous six days, any devotee who truly prays the lord murugar can feel his presence and protection and sometimes can be felt as emotionally attached. The devotees in sasthi used to chant “The kanda sashti kavasam”is one of the divine mantra in Tamil. It is said that anybody who reads kanda sashti kavasam, there comes the Lord Murugar and blesses them with his 12 hands. One of the sayings in sashti kavasam,”pasa vinaigal pattrathu neengi un patham peravae un arulaga”which means “let us abandon attachment to affection and seek your feet for your grace”.which clearly defines the reality of human life and to survive in this distressing world the real need is not the love from humans, it is the cherishing support which the lord Murugar gives even after the death. Like sashti kavasam, there is Vel maral, Kanda guru kavasam, Shanmuga kavasam and the famous Thirupugazh which heals both human mind and body.
At the end of the Kanda Sashti, The Soorasamharam event will takes place near the shores of the Thiruchendur in a magnificient way. Still the mulavar statue sweats in heat of anger after receiving the vel from Goddess Parvathi. After completion of samharam the devotees use to take bath in beach and worship the lord Murugar. For many devotees, Murugar is more than a god, He is the protector, guardian and the only & best life time companion.OM SARAVANA BHAVA…..
By: Dharshini.A
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