- Feb 18, 2017 - Collection of the most powerful Murugan Mantras for Success - Murugan Mantras are divine mantras which give protection to the reciter. When chanted, they can also help to avoid as well as negate all kind of ill effects and black magic.
- Jul 06, 2017 2) This mantra for pregnancy should only be chanted after having bath. 3) The mantra to get pregnant should be started on an auspicious day as given above. The mantra should be chanted daily for a period of 48 days (1 mandala). 4) It is best for both the husband and wife to recite this mantra together.
17,705 total views, 3 views today Murugan 1008 Potrikal in Pure Tamil Lord Murugan is fairly known as Tamizh Kadavul. Lord Murugan also addressed in many other names such as Karthikeya, Kumara, Vadivela, Skanda and so many. Also there are 1008 salutations for Lord Murugan which are given below in Tamil. முருகன் 1008 தமிழ் போற்றிகள் ஓம். Pregnant ladies can also chant the Murugan Mantras for the protection of the fetus foetus in the womb and for a safe baby delivery. Childless couples that are trying for a baby can also seek the blessings and grace of Lord Murugan by chanting these mantras with utmost devotion. Apr 27, 2013 The first Hindu mantra for pregnancy is an ancient mantra which requires the woman to have Hanuman, Maruti or darshan for 5 days, then on the fifth day after pooja recite the mantra below 108 times. The first mantra is: Om hreem lajja jallaya thn la Om hreem Swah. The second mantra for a child must be recited as many times as is.
by R.K.K. Rajarajan
Introduction
The temple cars of Tamilnadu are a repository of Hindu iconography. Being massivewood carved monuments, each and every car houses not less than 200iconographical pieces in addition to decorative motifs such as yālis and horse riders.[1]
The wealth of material forthcoming from the cars are varied in dimensionand need to be surveyed thoroughly. But for a major work on the subject andarticles in Journals like East and West (Rome)and Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland(London)[2] , thesubject has evaded the attention of art historians.
Mantra To Get Pregnant
Recently, Dr. GeorgeMitchell and Dr. Anna Dallapicoia have undertaken a mini-project so as toenable the organisation of an exhibition of wood carvings in London. The resultof the project has been published from Bombay by the journal Mārg (Vol. XLIII, No. 2, 1991).
This small article takes into account two miniatures from the temple car of theSubrahmanyasvāmi temple, Alagumalai (Coimbatore district). Both the templeand its car are dedicated to Subrahmanya (T. Murukan, Skt. Skanda or Kumāra)and so most of the iconographical illustrations in the car focus the forms ofthe hero of the temple and mainly depict events from the Skanda Purāna (T. Kanda Purānam).[3]
Besides some of the themes from Saiva and Vaisnava mythology are also illustrated inthe car. Most striking among them are two pieces which give a classical shapeto two of the events from Kanda Purānam and SarabhaPurānam. They are: (1) Skanda as Brahmasāsta in which the Lordpunishes Brahmā for not knowing the meaning of pranava mantra and imprisons him within the bars, and (2) Skandastriking a wild boar from which Visnu emerges.
Mythological Background
The two miniatures under consideration relate to two of the chief deities of the Hindupantheon, viz., Brahmā and Visnu. But in both Skanda is the hero since hepunishes the two antiheroes and establishes his superiority over them as LordSuperior of the Kaumāra cult.Later Siva, Skanda's father, rebuked him for having done so and asked Skanda whetherhe knew the meaning of pranava. Skanda'sreply was ‘yes'. Then, Siva asked him to tell what it was. To take a lesson,one should seek it with the discipline expected of a student. So, Skanda askedSiva to be his student and know the secrets of the mantra. Then, Siva is said to have appeared before Skanda with thehead down, mouth closed with one hand and in meek submission. Skanda divulgedthe secrets through a whisper. Later, at Siva's behest Brahmā was releasedfrom the prison. The story is elaborated in KandaPurānam (Urpattikāndam, AyancirainīkkuPatalam).
The second myth pertains to one of the avatārsof Visnu. Visnu, the Lord of Sustenance, and second among the Trinity issaid to have incarnated himself as a wild boar (Varāhamūrti) in orderto relieve Mother Earth (Bhūdevi) from the clutches of a demon, calledHiranyāksa. After accomplishing the job successfully, he did not revertback to his original form as Visnu but started molesting the worlds since thewrath (ugra) did not vanish. At thattime Skanda is said to have set him right by piercing his vel (Skt. Shakti-āyudha)into the Boar's body and thereby recovered the original Visnu. This episodeis hinted in Sarabha Puranam (4. ArivuruttiyaCarukkam, v. 47).
Iconographical Illustrations
The two miniatures found in the Alagumalai temple car are unique because no such figurecarving is reported to exist. Some rare motifs of the type are said to bepresent in the huge cars of the Tyāgarājasvāmi temple at Tiruvārūr(Thanjāvūr district).[6] But the Alagumalai pieces are noted for novelty of the object and uniquethematic elements that they include.
In the first miniature Skanda is found in ālīdhaposture with the left leg thrown forward and kicking a boar. The leg isplaced on the back of the beast. The Lord holds the shakti in his pūrvahastas with its head striking the boar at its neck. The back left handholds the vajrāyudha. The objectin the back right hand is not clear. Skanda wears a karanda makuta, skandamālā and other ornaments. Behindthe Boar, a God stands who is caturbhuja andholds the shankha and cakra in para hastas. The pūrvahastas are in anjali bandha attitude.Obviously, this is Visnu who emerges from his disguised form as the Boar (Varāha-avatāra). Theillustration falls in line with the myth narrated in the foregoing account.That is to say, Visnu on warpath in his varāhaform, is redeemed by Skanda, the omnipotent Lord of the Kaumāras.
The other illustration shows Skanda standing in the centre with two figures ofBrahmā to his front and back. Skanda knuckles Brahmā, standing infront, with his front right hand. He perhaps holds a fruit (?) in the frontleft hand.![Anandamayee Anandamayee](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e8/48/30/e84830396b72e2a5381126082f05df40.jpg)
The second illustration actually consists of twoscenes, compressed within the same sculptural frame. One relates to punishmentmeted out by Skanda to Brahmā and the second pertains to the scene of imprisonment.
Significance of the Illustrations
Illustrations such as discussed so far appear only in late medieval art, may be after the14th century AD. The base for such portrayal is the Kanda Purānam in which the mythology pertaining to Skandaacquired a full-fledged form. In earlier stages, the Lord is mostly associatedwith Sūrapadma, Tāraka and their associates. With the growth of mythsand literature, the iconographical perspective of Skanda goes on proliferating.The final stage of this evolution is reached during the late Vijayanagarperiod. An āgamic work called Kumāratantramwas also produced which deals with the later developments in iconography.
Stylistically speaking the event relating to Varāhasamhārais of some interest. Though a work of the late medieval times, it imitatesan ancient mode of illustration. To be specific, the Lord having his leg on theback of the Boar and piercing the vel intohis neck is of importance. Devi-Mahisāsuramardini in early Indian art isshown in a similar pattern.[8] Evidences are the iconographs on the subject from the Udayagiri (earlyGupta) and Ellora caves. The classical piece in Cave 1 at Bādāmi isalso of the same type. This shows the artist's proficiency with regard to thelatest developments in myth and the antique modes of iconographicalrepresentation.
The theme is important for a retrospective assessment of the growth of theKaumāra cult within the six great sects of Hinduism. Of them the mostpopular are Saivism, Vaisnavism and Sāktam. When compared with thesethree, others are not so popular. So, the Kaumāras with a view to projectthe personality of their cult hero, Skanda or Kumāra, invented effectivemyths to propagate their own sectarian creed. The result was that Siva, Visnuand Brahmā were made insignificant before their Great Lord. So, Sivaappears before Skanda with folded hands and mouth shut to learn the secrets ofthe pranava mantra. So, Murukan inTamil tradition is called Takappan Svāmi ‘Lord of the Father'.Brahmā is knuckled and imprisoned. Visnu is humiliated under pretext ofhis wrong moves after the successful completion of an avatāra's activity.[9]
Badmash hindi rap guru all mp3 songs download 2017. The appropriation of the fruit (of knowledge) from Ganapati is of somesignificance. According to the myth, Skanda claims superior wisdom overBrahmā and Siva. This status of eminence is pointed out by the fruit beingattributed to the Lord.
Conclusion
The above study shows that the temple cars are a promising area for further research. There arenearly 90 temple cars in Tamilnadu alone. Similar monuments are found invarious parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. A thorough survey anddocumentation of these wood carved relics of the past may bring to light themany faceted aspects of the south Indian iconography. It is indeed achallenging job. But a day should come when these paradigms, frozen into woodencaskets, are discovered and registered on the palimpsest of Indian art.
References & Notes
[1]Raju Kalidos, 'The WoodCarvings of Tamilnadu: An Iconographical Survey', Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, London,No. 1, 1988, p. 100.
[2] RajuKalidos, Temple Cars of MedievalTamilaham, Madurai, 1989; same author's articles in East and West (Rome): 'Stone Cars and Rathamandapas', Vol. XIV,Nos. 1-3, pp. 153-73; 'Visnu's Mohini Incarnation: An Iconographical andSexological Study', Vol. XXXVI, Nos. 1-3, pp. 183-204; 'Iconography andSymbolism of Pancamukha Nrsimha', Vol. XXXVII, Nos. 1-4, pp. 283-96;'Yoninilyā: Concept and Application in South Indian Art', Vol. XL, Nos.1-4, pp. 115-53 and 'Pancamukha Anjaneya in Canonic Literature and Art', Vol.XLI. Also the reference in previous note may be noted.
[3] The Kanda Purānam of Kacciyappa Civāccāriyār(14th century AD) is said to be the prototype of the Sanskritic Skanda Purāna. vide Kamil V.Zvelebil, Tiru Murugan, Madras, 1981,p. 33.
[4] Of the sanmatas (T. aruvakaiccamayam) Kaumāram is one; the other five beingSaivam, Vaisnavam, Sāktam, Gānapatyam and Sauram.
[5] Greatestamong the mantras, the mysterious Om, is the pranava, the root of all cosmic wisdom.
[6] RajuKalidos, Temple Cars of MedievalTamilaham, pp. 340-42.
[7] This is veryinteresting because according to another myth Siva is said to have awarded afruit (of wisdom?) to Ganapati who competed with Skanda for the prize. But inthe present illustration the fruit has gone to Skanda.
[8] RajuKalidos, 'Iconography of Mahisāsuramardini: A Probe into StylisticEvolution', Acta Orientalia, Copenhagen, Vol. L, pp. 7-28, figs. 7-14.
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[9] A similaranecdote is related in case of Nrsimha who is ultimately overcome by Siva as Sarabhamūrti.
This article first appeared in Kāla (Journal of Indian Art History Congress) Vol. I, 1994-95, pp. 129-134.
Dr. R.K.K. Rajarajan
Department of Art History, Aesthetics & FineArts
Madurai Kamaraj University
Madurai - 625016 Tamil Nadu, India
Department of Art History, Aesthetics & FineArts
Madurai Kamaraj University
Madurai - 625016 Tamil Nadu, India
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Valli Murugan |
Kumarar |
Prof. Mrs. V. Balambal
Indian life isinterwoven with religion. The Hindu pantheon is filled with innumerable godsand goddesses and various modes of worship are followed. The major Trinity consistsof Brahma, Siva and Vishnu. Their consorts Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati aregiven higher status. Ganesa also known as Pillaiyar, Ganapati, Vinayaka or Vigneswarais the elder son of Siva and Parvati and an affectionate brother of Murukan, thefavourite god of the Tamils. Other than the major deities, several minordeities are also in vogue.
Though Hinduismis a way of life as stated by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, a deeper study of Hinduismwith its subdivisions clearly proves that it is more than that. Tolerationcould be seen in this religion making it easily approachable to people. It has beenthe practice from Vedic times to invoke the deities by performing rituals andsacrifices, singing in praise of them, and conducting festivals too. Everyonehas the right to have devotion to his/her favourite god.
Murukan has beenworshipped from the Cankam age. In Cankam literature, he is referred to as Seyon,Azhakan, Korravaiselvan, Kumaran, Velan, Marukan, etc. Tirumurukarruppadai,one of the Ten Idylls (Pattuppattu) written by Nakkirar, gives a detailedaccount of the six abodes of Murukan and his heroic deeds too. There are manyreferences to Murukan in other Cankam literary works. Though much reference toMurukan is not available in Vedic literature, he is known from puranas, andother works as Karttikeya, Subramania, Skanda, etc. He married Devasena andValli from two different classes: Devasena, the daughter of Indra, the head ofthe Devas, and Valli, the adopted daughter of the hunter chief. He was the Lordof the Kurinci region (hilly tracts) and as such most of his temples arefound on the hills. He is seen with spear in his hand. His mount (vahana)and flag are peacock and cock respectively. He is the embodiment of beauty and valour.He was Tamil Kadavul (Lord of Tamil). He is said to have taught Tamil toAgastya. Murukan's beauty and youth purify the hearts and eliminate sicknessand ill health from the devotees. Above all, Skanda's grace brings eternal blissand everlasting peace.
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There are manysources to say that Murukan is a great protector of body and soul of hisdevotees. He is an amazing healer of mental, physical, emotional and psychologicaldiseases of his devotees. Some turned to be his followers after being tested byhim or after receiving his grace. Every part of the body is protected by himand every disease could be well treated by him if one has sincere faith in him.Innumerable religious literature such as Subramania Bhujankam (SB)byAdi Sankara, Devaraya Swamikal's Kandasasti kavacam (ksk), Pamban Swamikal'sShanmukakavacam (SK), Arunagirinathar's Tiruppukazh, Kantaralankaram,Kantaranuputi, and other works. Nakkirar's Tirumurukarruppatai, Kumarakuruparar'sMuttukumarasami Pillaittamizh, etc., describe the greatness of the Lord.
The birth ofMurukan itself was to protect Indra and other devasfrom the clutches ofthe AsuraSurapadma. When the devas requested Siva to redeem them fromthe demon ruler, six sparks came out of the powerful eye of Siva who gave thesparks to Vayu who in turn handed over to Agni. The fire god left the sparks inGanges who brought the same to the holy Saravana tank (Saravana poikai). Thenthe six sparks turned to be six children and were brought up by the six Karttikaipendir. Parvati came there and united all the six into one with sixfaces, twelve hands and twelve eyes in one body calling him Arumuka. When hegrew up as a mighty person, with the grace of his parents and sakti vel,Murukan fought with the Asuras and defeated them. This shows how the Lordprotected even the powerful Devasfrom their distress. Gracing theenemies too was a common thing for Murukan. At the end, when Surapadmansurrendered to him he gave permanent protection to the demon king by having onepart of him as his mount and the other as his flag (peacock and cock). Hehealed the wounds of the Devas as they were humiliated by the asuras.All the five elements of nature (earth, vayu, fire, water and space) areassociated with him from the time of his birth. All the actions of Murukan areobstacle free as he is the favourite of Lord Vignesvara, his elder brother.
Importance ofreligion in human life could be well understood from bhakti literature. Adi Sankara,Śrī Devaraya Swamikal, Pamban Swamikal and Arunagirinathar narrate in variousways in their hymns their experiences with the Lord and recommend his grace todevotees. By showing sincere devotion to Murukan, one could achieve bothmaterial and spiritual bliss. When we call the Lord as the protector and healer,it does not mean physical protection and healing of physical illness alone. Thereis need for mental and spiritual protection too which is given by Murukanabundantly to his faithful devotees. It is interesting to note that the Lord testsdevotees and saves the non-devotees too making them surrender totally to him. Devarayar,Pamban Swamikal, Arunagirinathar, Adi Sankara, Ramalinga Adikal and othersnarrate in detail how Murukan safeguards and heals his devotees in various ways.
Kantasashti Kavachamis not only a devotional literature but a divine gift to Murukan devotees. Devarayarstarts his KSK describing the divine beauty of Murukan. This Bhakti literaturedeals with not only spiritual aspect but also the physical, material andemotional aspects of human life. KSK details the anatomy of human body, variousdiseases affecting the body, the supernatural elements troubling the body andmind and at last explains the ways and means of getting relief from thesephysical, mental and spiritual ailments. Simple remedy according to Devarayarand Pamban Swamikal is total surrender to Murukan who is the redeemer. Faith inMurukan brings forth good things to and destroys evils against the devotees.
The favourite weaponof Skanda is the spear. It is used by the Lord not only to destroy the enemiesand evildoers but also to protect his devotees from various obstacles andopponents. The poet-devotees mention azhakuvel, punitavel, nalvel, munaivel,peruvel, sevvel, katirvel, iniyavel, ratnavel, tiruvel, vativel, arulvel, paruvel,vetrivel, ayilvel, ayilvel, valvel, arulvel, karunaivel, ethirvel, kanakavel, vajravel,anaiyavel, ethirvel, caturvel etc which protect all parts of the human body(KSK. ll. 71-109). Head, face, forehead, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, cheeks,tongue, thirty two teeth, neck, chest, breast, back neck, back, sixteen ribs, stomach,hip, womb, buttocks, anus, thighs, knees, ankles, feet, toes, hands, arms, naval,veins, genitals, etc. It is interesting to note that Devarayar does not omitany part of the human body to be protected by the Lord. Each part is prone forsome disease and by pure devotion one could win the attention of Kumaran whowould protect his devotee from any danger.
Murukan, thesymbol of valour, grace, strength, power, knowledge, and beauty, does wondersto protect the body and soul of his followers. The devotees need his protectionduring day and night as they do not know when or by whom they would be affected.If one is to be protected by the Lord, he should get the grace of theOmnipotent in various ways. Those are: chanting the different names of the Lord;performing rituals, abhisekam, dance and music to please the Almighty;conducting festivals etc. With his twelve eyes he would grace his devotees;with his twelve hands he is there to protect them and destroy the evil- doers.
People believein good and bad spirits and ghosts. These are used by wicked people to causegood and bad effects. Devarayar believes that his strong faith in Murukan wouldsafeguard him from the evil effects of the powerful spirits, child eatingghosts, demons, women-chasing ghosts, Irisi, Katteri, Karuppu, andvarious other evil spirits causing damage to life and prosperity. The Lord willprotect the devotee by binding and rolling these bad elements to destruction. Theseevil spirits would be put into all sorts of sufferings by the grace of Murukanand the devotee would be protected from all dangers. (ll. 104-146)
In this decayingworld, people are harmed by wild animals and various poisonous insects. Skanda'sgrace would protect the devotee from them too. Devarayar narrates itbeautifully in KSK. He has included almost all living beings in his listin this context. Wild and trouble causing Tiger, wolf, fox, rat, bear, would bemade to runaway from the devotee by the Lord. Even if he was bitten by the mostpoisonous scorpion, snake etc. the Lord protects him from the effects of poison.(ll. 150-154).
Health is wealth. It is essential to have a sound mind in a sound body. Every part of the humanbody is affected by some disease. Devarayar mentions different types ofphysical ailments like severe headache, bile, vomiting, fatigue, tuberculosis, itches,skin diseases, boils, abscess, tumours, toothache, neurotic problems whichwould be healed by the grace of Murukan. Devarayar was confident that thesediseases would vanish as soon as they hear the name of Lord's devotee; even ifaffected, he would be cured by the Lord. (ll. 154-164). What is to beunderstood in this context is that the devotee could take any liberty with the Lordto ask for his grace to protect him from all sorts of dangers, eventualities, sicknessof the body and mind. Pamban Swamikal, anothergreat devotee of Murukan has expressed in his Shanmuka kavacam not onlyhis devotion but also the greatness of the Lord in all spheres. After greatordeals he realized the greatness of Kumaran. He met with an accident atChennai in 1923 and his leg bone was severely broken. Even when the doctorsthemselves lost hope, the great Protector appeared before him in the form oftwo peacocks and touched his leg and cured him. The doctors were wonder struckat his recovery. He had the vision of Bala Murukan who touched his broken leg withhis powerful spear.
This miraculous healing of Murukan enabled Pamban Adikal to sing the Shanmuka kavacam, whichsimilar to the KSK of Devarayar, praises the Lord, describes his beauty,expresses firm belief in the Lord who would come to the rescue of his devoteein times of distress and protects and heals him in all possible ways. He alsodescribes various ailments, enemies, attacks, opponents, physical and mentalailments affecting human beings and how one could be protected and healed bythe grace of the Lord. What is needed is unconditional surrender and devotionwhich even make the devotee to command the Lord for help.
Vallimalai Swamikal experienced the ultimate bliss as a devotee of Skanda. He suffered due toŚrī Vallimalai Tiruppugazh Swamigal |
Balasubramaniam was a deaf and blind son of a couple devoted to the Lord of Palani. The parentscame to Palani and pleaded to Palaniyandi to cure their child. The Lord is saidto have applied the sacred ashes and blessed him with sight and speech. Thechild became a great poet and sang the sthalapurana of Palani. (Ibid. p.128) Similarly Murukan cured Mambazhakavi when he was affected by smallpox. Theseinstances clearly show the love and care the Lord had for his devotees.
Velan showedgreat concern for Kumarakurubarar who was born dumb. His parents brought him atthe age of five to Tiruccentur and started their penance to the god for therecovery of their son. Murukan appeared at night before the boy and wrote in histongue with his spear. Immediately, to every body's surprise Kantarkali Venbawas sung by the dumb boy. The Lord listened to the sincere prayers of theparents and healed the boy of his dumbness and protected him. The sacred hymngives a detailed account of the beauty, valour, achievements, the six abodes ofthe Lord, and how he would be able to safeguard the devotees from physical, mental,emotional, psychological and spiritual ailments. Achieving the ultimate blissis the aim and desire of the devotee. He has narrated in his MuttukumarasamiPillaittamizh the beauty of child Murukan at Vaitisvarankoil in Tancavurdistrict.
When Nakkirar andnine hundred and ninety nine poets were imprisoned and were about to be eatenby Karmuki, the ghost, the poet sangNakkirar saved his own life and that of 999 innocent people from the clutches of Karkimukhi, a demon, by singing Tirumurukatrupadai in praise of Muruka who came to his rescue at Tirupparankundram. |
There are manyreferences to Avvaiyar's relationship with Murukan. When he tested her mental strength,she fell prey to him due to her ignorance which is also a disease to be cured. Murukan,in the form of a shepherd boy healed her ignorance by making her understandwhat he meant by hot fruit (cutta pazham). Avvaiyar was in a state of ‘maya'and Lord Murukan brought her to light. Even the wisest Avvaiyar was to be mentallyprotected and healed by the Lord. (Tiruppukazh, 441).
Pride is anotherdisease of the mankind. It ruins relationship and progress. Murukan is thehealer in this aspect too. Poyyamozhi, a great Tamil poet who has authored Tancaivanankovaiwas a Siva bhakta and refused to sing on any other god, especiallyMurukan, stating that he would sing on cock (Siva), not on chicken (Murukan). Prideassociated with ignorance is a big disease. The Lord wanted to protect him andheal him, though he was not his devotee. He took the form of a hunter andchased the poet. When the latter pleaded for relief, the hunter asked him tosing on him. The poet asked for his name. The hunter said it as egg (muttai).To safeguard himself from the fierce hunter, Poyyamozhi sang in praise of muttai.Immediately the hunter asked him why he sang on egg when he did not evenwant to sing on the chicken. The poet realized that the hunter was Murukanhimself and he repented for his pride and ignorance. God relieved him of thesame. (Tiruppukazh)
Adi Sankara was agreat Advaitin. He sang in praise of Siva, Vishnu, Sakti and Skanta. SubrahmanyaBhujangam of Sankara speaks of his experiences with Murukan at Tiruccentur.There was some purpose in his visit. When Sankara was propagating Advaita, hehad to face the opposition of Abinava Gupta who caused Sankara a chronicdisease. Sankara suffered a lot. Siva came in his dream and instructed him togo to Jayantipuram (Tiruccentur) and worship Murukan.
Immediately Sankaraset out for Tiruccentur and offered his prayers to the Lord. He was able to seeAdisesha worshipping Murukan in the sanctum. He sang the Subramania Bhujankamand was cured of his disease. He describes the inner and outer beauty ofMurukan and how each part of the Lord's body was capable of protecting thedevotees and destroying the enemies. As a devotee of Murukan, he had the stronghope that even when the assistants of Yama, the God of Death arrived in front ofhim, Skanda would appear and protect him by driving them away. Even diseasessuch as leprosy, fits, tuberculosis, madness, high fever, stomach pain and theevil spirits would disappear by seeing the sacred ashes of the Lord (verse. 25).If any damage is caused by an animal or disease, the mighty spear of Shanmukawould ruin them. The beautiful and meaningful verses of Sankara were the basefor the later Kantasasti kavacam and Shanmuka kavacam in whichthe authors describe the beauty of Murukan, expecting the Lord's protectionfrom illness and evil spirits with the mighty spear of various names (verse. 29).Sankara who is said to have performed miracles sought the protection of LordMurukan from his enemies, diseases and death.
Arunagirinathar, theauthor of Tiruppukazh, was a pleasure seeking man in his early life. Herepented for his sins and tried to commit suicide as he could not be cured ofhis disease. Then came the Protector, Lord Murukan. Arunagiri was not even aMurukan devotee. Perhaps the Lord knew that he would turn to be a staunch bhakta. Arunagiri worships Lord Murugan who had just rescued him from certain death by suicide. Painting from Tiru Avinankudi Tirukkovil, Palani. |
Murukan does notstop with physical and mental protection and healing of the devotees. He gaveintellectual protection too. It is known from the life of Arunagirinathar. Sambantandan,a staunch devotee of Kali was jealous of Arunagiri and challenged him to showMurukan as he was capable of inviting and presenting his goddess Kali toArunagirinathar. With great faith in the Lord Arunagiri sang the Tiruppukazh,'Atala cetanarata' and the Lord appeared before him and snubbed theheadstrong opponent. The king of the region punished the haughty Sambantandanand honoured Arunagirinathar.
He was once againprotected by Murukan when Villiputhur Azhwar had a verbal battle with him atTiruccentur. The Azhwar had the practice of cutting the ear of the defeatedperson. But in his dual with Arunagiri, Azhwar lost and as a fair person triedto cut his own ear. But Arunagirinathar stopped him from that act and requestedhim not to continue that crude practice. His protection by the merciful Lordmade him merciful even to his own challengers. In many Tiruppukazh heseeks safeguard from worldly pleasures which ruin ones body and soul; requeststhe Lord to redeem him from various pressures and destructions; realizes theultimate abode is the lotus feet of the Lord. Kumara's feet, anklets, twelveshoulders and the kadamba garland would definitely save him from bad omens, badplanets, and the god of Death. Arunagirinathar's sacred hymns narrate allaspects of worldly and spiritual life and explain what the ultimate bliss is.
Gunasilar, agreat devotee of Murukan was challenged by an arrogant scholar named Prativati Bhayankaranwho wanted to boast himself before the docile Gunasilar. Very proudly hestarted singing about the Nagacalam (‘snake hill') questioning why the snakemound failed to dance opening its hoods. But he could not proceed furtherbecause of his arrogance. Murukan came in the form of a shepherd boy andcompleted the verse by singing that it was due to the fear of being killed bythe peacock, the favourite mount of the Lord.
Pritivati wasastounded by the verse uttered by the shepherd boy and asked him who he was. Theboy replied that he wanted to learn Tamil from Gunasilar, but the latter wasunwilling to teach him. So the boy decided to be his shepherd and he was ableto complete the verse with his listening knowledge. Pritivati apologized to Gunasilarfor his arrogance and incapability. It was understood that the shepherd wasnone other than Lord Murukan himself who came to protect his devotee. (P.L. Muttukrishnan,pp 579-580). Gunasilar realized that the presence of Murukan was to protect himfrom the humiliation planned by the arrogant scholar. The Lord appeared at theright time to save his devotee from the wrong person.
Venrimalai, afaithful devotee of Murukan and an illiterate, served in the temple kitchen atTiruccentur. The temple authorities humiliated and punished him severely forhis small mistake. He decided to commit suicide and jumped in to the sea afterpraying to the Lord. Murukan saved him from death and turned the illiterateinto a great poet who sang the Tiruccentur Sthala Puranam. When hewanted to publicize his writing in the presence of scholars, he wasdisrespected by his opponents. As nobody supported him, he felt dejected andthrew the sthalapuranam into the sea. It reached the shores of Yazhppanamand was saved by a devotee. After some time when the whole region was seriouslyaffected by a virus disease, the place where the sacred palm leaves were keptalone remained unaffected. People were amazed without knowing the reason. Murukancame in the dream of the local people and revealed the secret. The holy textbecame the common treasure of the people who started reciting it every day. Thisincident shows the grace of the Lord to his devotee and how he protected himand his composition and popularized it. (P.L. Muthukumaran, p. 62)
Kacciapparpronounced amidst scholars his immortalized Kantapuranam for which theinitial verse was given by Murukan himself. His opponents found mistake in itand questioned Kacciappar. To protect his devotee, Murukan himself appearedbefore the scholars and nullified their view by giving proper explanation. Thisshows the interest of the Lord in protecting the dignity of Kacciappar.
Some times eventhe Vaishnavites showed interest in Murukan worship. When Pakazhikuttar, a Vaishnavitehad severe stomach ache, Vadivelan came in his dream and told him to sing Pillaittamizh(songs in praise of the Lord's early childhood) on him. Pakazhikuttarheeded to the command of Kumaran and sang Tiruccentur Pillaittamizh describingthe childhood activities of the Lord who healed him of his disease and protectedhim. This hymn is being sung along with Tiruppukazh everyday in theTiruccentur temple after all the daily rituals are over.
Ramalinga Atikalalso known as Vallalar was a great devotee of Shanmuka. Though he was notinterested in his studies, to satisfy his brother's wife's request, he plannedto study at home. Murukan became his teacher and he in turn transformed himselfa great preacher and teacher to the world. Vallalar's Tiruvarutpa (Prartana malai)speaks about the tremendous changes that had taken place in his life when hehad Murukan as his Gnanaguru. He realized the need for the grace of the Lordfor protection from various vices and for showing the path of goodness.
Through his Tiruvarutpahe seeks the helping hand of the Lord to get the friendship of the virtuouspeople; to speak truth; to be without arrogance; not to have lust for women; toattain good knowledge; to have the grace of Murukan; to live without anydisease; not to be greedy; to donate others as much as possible; to speak goodwords to all; to be relieved of physical and mental strains; to end thesufferings and humiliations etc. All these would be possible to a devotee if heis able to grace of the Lord. Universal brotherhood is explained in Vallalar's Samarasasanmarkam.
There are innumerable instances to show the greatness of Murukan. He is omnipotent andunassailable. Even Adi Sankara insists in his Subrahmanya Bhujangam. Everyoneshould worship Shanmuka along with his family members as the primary god sothat all could get protection of the Lord. In this world of uncertainty, terrorism,tyranny, non-cooperation, backbiting, mudslinging, lack of human values, selfishness,jealousy, unfaith, cheating etc, the grace of the Lord alone would come to ouraid to protect ourselves from all dangers, ailments, and oppositions. Historyhas proved that Murukan comes down to the level of the commoners to protect andredeem his devotees from every thing. Unquestionable surrender to the Lordwould be the tool with which a devotee could have the Lord as his Protector andHealer. Chanting of the six letter word (Saravanahbava) would enable thedevotees to attain eternal bliss.
References
PrimarySources
- Adi Sankarar, SriSubramania Bhujankam
- Arunagirinathar, Tiruppukazh
- _____________, Kantaralankaram
- _____________, Kantarantati
- Devaraya Swamikal, Kanta sasti kavacam
- Kacciyappa Sivaccariyar,Kanta purananam
- Kumarakuruparar, MuthukumarasamiPillaittamizh
- Nakkirar, Tirumurukarruppatai
- Pamban Swamikal, ShanmukaKavacam
- Venrimalai Kavirayar,Tiruccentur Stalapuranam
Lord Murugan Mantra – Anandamayee
Published Works
Murugan Moola Mantra - Dhevee.org
- Basham, A. L. The Wonder that was India
- Krishnan, NagarkoilTirumurukan Tiruttalankal
- Muthukumaran. P.L., Murukan Arutccelvam
- Padmanabhan. N.,Six Abodes of Arumukan
- Pillay, K. K. SocialHistory of the Tamils
- Subramanian. N.Sangam Polity
- ___________,History of Tamilnadu
- Zvelebil, Kamil,Tamil Traditions on Subramanya-Murugan
The Author:Dr. Mrs. V. Balambal is retired Professor of History, University of Madras. She has published four books and some sixty research articles on the social, religious and cultural history of Tamil Nadu. Prof. Dr. Mrs. V. Balambal, M.A., B.T., Ph.D., F.R.A.S. (London) 159, 94th Street, 15th Sector KK Nagar Chennai - 600 078 India E-mail: [email protected] |
Prof. V. Balambal (right) addresses a Murukan Conference session. |