Hinduism

Significance of Skanda Shasti Fast

Chelvathamby Maniccavasagar

The Skanda Shasti Fast is observed very meticulously by Hindus, particularly at Kataragama Temple in the South, Gintupitiya Murugan Temple in Colombo and Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in the Northern Province accompanied by fervent prayer, concentration and meditation on Skanda for six days.

During these days the devotees generally abstain from food and break the fast after the pooja at the sundown with a meal of fruit, milk or coconut water. This fast is called "UPAVASAM" which means drawing ourselves close to God where the mind is detached from the material world for spiritual progress. The main aim of this fast is to strengthen the Virtues and prepare the mind for the descent of Divine Grace and to reach the goal of life for perfection and freedom from bondage.

Further, the origin of Skanda or Murukan is fundamentally the development of Tamil Culture. He becomes identified as 'Kumaran' - the adolescent, 'Skanda' - the seed that was spurt, "Karthikeya" - nurtured by Kartikai women.

His name has been revered as divine from antiquity. Infact, the puranas extols his legendary origin. The Devas when they proceeded to Mount Kailas to complain to Lord Shiva of their persecution by the Asuras found him in deep meditation on being awakened, a divine spark emanated from his frontal third eye.

This was received in Lake Saravana Poikai. There it was nurtured by Karthikai women and became six infants. They became one when they were fondly embraced by Divine, Mother Goddess Parvathi. Therefore "Karthikeya" is also known as "Skanda".

God Skanda as a valorous youth is said have performed several brave deeds including the imprisonment of Brahma and imparting the meaning of the sacred word "Aum" to Lord Shiva. Further, God Skanda fought with Asura leader Surapadman and his two brothers Singhamugan and Jaarakan and defeated them.

Though Surapadman assumed several monstrous forms and shapes, he finally sought refuge in the form of a mango tree. Surapadman was ultimately defeated, was not slain, but was commanded to serve God Skanda in the form of a peacock and was also given a place in his Banner as a Rooster Cock. Thereafter, the Devas were released and they celebrated the victory.

The three "Asura" brothers personify the evil aspects of ego, lust and ignorance. The "Devas" represent goodness, knowledge and wisdom. Furthermore, the battle between God Skanda and the Asuras is really the battle between the divine self and the ego in man.

The God Skanda and his consorts Deivanai and Valli represent Gnana Sakthi, Kiriya Sakthi and Issa Shakthi. The 'Vel' in his hand is a powerful weapon to overcome evil forces, thus becoming a symbol of power, knowledge and wisdom.

The VEL in his hand shows that a man's knowledge should be sharp, and it should not only be sharp but it should also be broadened and deepened. That means, a man may possess a wide knowledge, but he should be simple and humble in life.

There are six places as being auspicious for God Skanda's veneration.

They are well-known Skanda or Muruga Temples which are visited by his devotees. They are Kataragama peak in Sri Lanka, Thiruperumkunram, about five miles south west of Madurai in South India, where Skanda's wedding ceremony into Deivancai is believed to have taken place. Thiruchendur on the South East Coast of India, which commemorates his overpowering of the Asuras, Palani where Skanda retreated as an ascetic, Swami Malai where he is said to have initiated Lord Shiva, Alagarcholai or Palamuthir Cholai, about 13 miles from Madurai. These six temples were erected during Singai Ariyan's regime.

Six days of fast in the temple makes one to remember God Skanda in his mind with intense faith and devotion. This would be the beginning of discipline for a spiritual life.

Teachings of Impermanence

Thilaka V. Wijeyaratnam

There lived in the Kaviri town in Tanjore district a trader by the name of Sivanesa Chetty and his wife Gnanakalai. They were blessed with a son whom they called Suvetharanyar after as epithet of Lord Siva of Suvetharanyam.

He was called Thiruvenkadar by the people. When he was five years old, he lost his father. Like his father he spent money on Siva devotees, and fed them daily. He had enough wealth in his house. At sixteen years, he was married to Sivakalai, daughter of another trader by the name of Sivasithamparam Chettiyar and his wife Sivakamy.

Even after fifteen years of marriage they had no children. Meantime there was a very poor Saivaite by the name of Sivasarumar who spent all his wealth in feeding the Siva devotees. When all his wealth was spent he sold his wife's nuptial chain (thali) and fed the devotees of Lord Siva. Once in his dream, Lord Siva appeared and told him, he would find him (Siva) as a baby at a certain spot. "Hand over the baby boy to Thiruvenkadar. He would give gold equal to the weight of the baby.

The Saivaite devotees found the baby and took him to Thiruvenkadar who was also known as Pattinathar (town resident) or 'Pattinathar Chetty' trader from the town. Pattinathar took the child and gave the couple gold and more wealth.

The divine child grew up and followed in his father's footsteps. Once the father sent him on a ship with a good lot of merchandise and when he came he brought back sacks full of paddy husks. The father was angry and locked him up in a room and going to the harbour, threw the husks out. What was his surprise to see they were all gold; Every dried piece of the husk turned out to be gold and precious gems.

He hurried home to see his son. He was not in the room. His wife gave him a small box the son had given before he disappeared. In it was an ola script and a needle without an eyelet. On the ola script were the following words:

"Not even on eyeless needle will accompany you in the final journey."

Thiruvenkadar on Pattinathar realised the philosophy and wisdom of the words, and renounced everything - his wife, his wealth, his kith and kin and all other mundane attachments. With only a loin cloth he left. He told his mother he would be there at her funeral to light the pyre. Though he is not counted among the 18 sithars who could perform the eight miracles, he was also considered a Sithar. He sang many a philosophical song to enlighten people on the blissful state of renunciation.

Once the king Bhadragiri came in search of him to the cremation grounds, he asked Pattinathar, what was good in sitting out there on the ashes. The Sithar answered, "Don't you see? We beggars sit while you a king stand before us - What more evidence do you need?" The king thought ever these words and appreciating the high state of the mendicant, himself renounced his royal life and became Pattinathar's disciple.

They went together uttering philosophical sayings to awaken the masses from illusions - Maya "You have not come unto this world with any riches, Nor can you take away anything when you depart.

What you have in this life is a gift from God Use it to help those in need" Is the gist of their philosophical sayings.

"Crowned monarchs and ordinary men, Are finally reduced to a handful of ashes, Why then hanker after worldly pleasure? Take refuge at the feet of the Lord, Dancing in the hall at Chithamparam" The songs he sang before he lit the pyre at his mother's cremation are soulful and meaningful. At Hindu funerals these songs are sung by special men who are trained to sing at funerals.

"Is it to her who bore me in her womb for 10 months, And underwent the pain of giving birth, And bore me in her hands and fed me, That I am here to feed her to the fire? Will I ever see her in any other birth?"

The first fire was to burn the three cities of the Asuras, The next fire was lit in Lanka, The fire mother lit is in the abdomen, May the fire I lit burn and burn" With this the pyre was lit.

A song very often sung at Hindu funerals is very thought provoking - To come out after 10 months - grow and deck in silk, Have pearls and coral chains and happily enjoy all these And finally end as dead body, What can I say about those future corpses, crying over the dead Or Lord of Kalathi. The song speaks for itself the deep philosophy contained therein.

The Hindu temples of Sri Lanka - Part IV

S.Pathmanathan

Continued from Oct. 09

"In addition to the elongated central niche with its dimidiated pair of pilasters and the full pilasters common to both Devales, a distinct variation was introduced at Siva Devale No. 5 by inserting in the recess on either side of the central bay an extra niche exactly similar to that of the middle save in its diminutiveness. These dwarf niches, which once contained small standing figures of gods in stucco, were only 2 ft high by 10 in. across, with the exception that the shafts on the pilasters taper slightly and that one of the courses of the atisthanam carved with a frieze of hamsas, there is practically no divergence from the face ornamentation found at Siva Devale No. 2.

In respect of the ornamentation of the cornice above the sanctum there was a departure from the scheme of Siva Devale No. 2. An oblong sunk panel, containing a seated figure, was introduced on all faces except to east or front, in place of the simple piedroits, horizontal fillets and dentils of the simulated domical cells at the corners of the first story of Siva Devale No. 2. The face wall of the second story at Siva Devale No. 2 is 'only saved from complete bareness by four plain shafted pilasters headed by transverse bracket capitals." Replicas of the elaborate pilasters that are found on the ground story replaced these 'T-square' pilasters here.

"The third, or uppermost storey was throughout octagonal at Siva Devale No. 2, each alternate octant showing on its basement and wall alike four plain pilasters. Here only the base of the drum was octagonal, the upper part and dome being circular. The eight sides of the drum base each bore four pilasters with rectangular branching capitals and the circular superstructure a couple of pilaster strips."

Siva Devale No. 3

The temple designated Siva Devale No. 3, which seems to represent an intermediate stage of development as against the temples of the 11th and 12th centuries, situated some 30 yards east of the right bank of the 'Yoda-ala', is an isolated building of stone construction.

The central temple was found to be in an advanced state of ruin, when excavations were conducted, on account of the growth of tress within the area enclosed by the walls of the building. The superstructure of the sanctum had disappeared and the heavy slabs of the ceiling of the entire edifice had fallen down. The central temple, which fronted east as generally consisted of three parts: a quadrangular open mantapam with a smaller portico attached to it on the front side, an antarala and the square garbha-grha. The temple had a length of 51 ft. 6 in. and nearly the vestibule and the sanctum covered two-thirds of it.

Like in all Hindu temples of Polonnaruva the walls were merely faced inside and out with dressed ashlar while the interspaces were filled with loose broken stone. The atisthanam appears to have been uniform in its mouldings throughout from portico to sanctum as in the case of Siva Devale No. 2. The atisthanam, which has a height of 3 ft. 4 in. consists of five planes: patmam, kumutam, kal, kantam and pattikai. The vertical surface of the wall above it was relieved, as at Siva Devale No. 2, by plain bays, separated at middle by pilasters on either side of the niche. But, in this instance the bays were reduced from five to three, and the full pilasters from six to four, of which the outer two were cantoned at the corners.

The face ornamentation conformed to Siva Devale No. 2, with such diminution as the proportionate size of the two temples demanded. A noteworthy feature in the design of the pilaster capitals is the adoption of those similar to the one found in the mantapam of Siva Devale No. 1 where a kalasa or vase heads the shaft above receding and advancing neck fillets, and below the flat cushion (kumutam) and neck extension (kantam) which terminate in expanding cyma (Palakai) capital and straight lined abacus.

To be continued