Hinduism

Saviour of mankind:

Muruga - God of Kaliyuga

Sinnathamby RASIAH

God Muruga

*God Siva was begotten God Muruga

* Muruga’s birth exploits, acts of grace and love

* Muruga is considered as the Lord of the Cosmos

* Muruga was recognised as the guardian deity of the cult of sacrificial fires

* Muruga is described as the God who loves to sport on the hills

The cult of God Muruga that was deep rooted in the lives of the people from ancient times has gained more prominence in the present day. We are said to be living in the age of kaliyuga that is filled with hatred, vengeance, strife, wars, indiscipline, destruction and natural disasters etc. In such a scenario God Muruga is looked upon as the saviour of mankind and hence the worship of God Muruga gains importance. In this era of eventful change, when the ego of man exerts its maximum potency while destructive forces gain supremacy over the powers of the truth and goodness.

God Muruga is hailed as the manifestation of Supreme God Siva who was tasked with the mission to save the Devas from the atrocities of Asurus (evil forces) and re-establish peace and joy among devotees. His mighty weapon the lance (Vel) the symbol of victory that dispels all fears in the minds of the devotees and renews man’s faith in the existence on earth.

According to puranic story, from the effulgent eye of God Siva was begotten God Muruga, the eternal child of light, signifying beauty, truth and love. He embodies the Hindu ideal of God, immanent in all things and manifesting Himself in many forms as – Divine Guru, God of war, peace etc. He is the favoured deity of the mountain region called Kurinchi by Tolkappiar. He is also the eternal beloved of Valli and Devayanai, the Divine teacher (Swaminatha) as revealed in the anthologies of poems constituting Sangam classics.

In this article, God Muruga or Kartikkeya is mainly described as given in the Tamil Sangam literature. A renowned Tamil poet by the name of saint Nakkirar who lived in the age of the Tamil Academy of letters at the beginning of first century AD composed a poem of three hundred and seven lines, dileneating the worship of God Muruga.

It is called Thirumurugarrupadai, written in classical Tamil, adopts the dialogic form of poetic technique known as Aarupadai which is unique in Tamil poetry. It gives an account of an ardent devotee of God Muruga guiding another aspirant, the way to reach the abode of God Muruga. The poet delves in a novel manner the citadels, well established and illustrious as Thirupparankunram, Thirucheeravalai, of the worship of God Muruga. His abodes or ‘Padaividu’ have been extolled by saint Nakkirar.

God Muruga’s majestic form of six faces and twelve arms mighty in stature, the splendour of His valour and the enchantment of His, are all reflected in inimitable poetry with a crescendo of faith and devotion that crowns Thirumurugatrupadai as a poem par excellence in the religious poetry of the world not second to Dante’s Divine comedy or Canticles of St John of the Cross.

In the South Indian tradition of Hindus, Muruga connotes everlasting fragrance, youth, divinity and beauty. In the collection of Ettutogai and Pattupattu of the Tamil Sangam literature are many lyrics devoted to the eternal who fills the seeker with rapturous bliss and they fill us to this day with something of their etherea, piety.

In Paripadal, Ahananuru, Purananuru and the Kurinchi anthologies, Muruga’s birth, exploits, acts of grace and love are delineated with irrepressible charm and beauty that leave no doubt in the minds that the cult of Muruga was deep rooted in the religious life of the Tamils in the hey day of their civilization some three thousand years ago. In these works and specially in Paripadal we get a concept of Muruga, the flaming God – as the source of energy and we get the panoramic vision of the universal Muruga in the natural settings of hilltops and mountains, rivers and sea coasts.

The primal deity of the Kurinchi land was Muruga and His lance and cock banner were extolled by the worshippers. The references to stately temple of Thirupparankunaram with its galleries and assemblies of scholars throw light on the high watermark of Tamil culture as well on the popularity and universality of the worship of Muruga.

Six abodes of God Skanda

As mentioned in Thirumurugrrupadai there are six abodes where He resides and bestows grace to the devotees. They are Thiruparankunram, Thiruchendur, Palani, Thiruveragam, Kunrutorradal, Palamuthirsolai.

These are abodes specially consecrated to the workship of Muruga who chose these sites as the citadels according to tradition to encamp his army in His warfare against the Asura forces of Surapadman. One such sanctified place is Thirupparankunram. The ancient Tamils cherished objects of beauty and in the hills and the peaks where stalked the peacock and the elephant where nature put on her rainbow coloured flowers and clouds and where leaped rivulets and mountains, streams, they deified the guardian deity in Muruga and worshipped Him as the overlord of the hilly (Kurinchi) region.

Among such hilly abodes of Muruga, Thiruppaankunram stands out as a sanctuary of beauty, some six miles to the south west of Madurai, the once famed capital city of Pandyan kings. This mount is described by Nakkirar in his famous poem as the first of six fortresses or encampments (padaividu) of Muruga. The warrior hero Muruga according to Thirupparankunram had six operational centres where He gathered His forces and launched His affray against the inimical herdes of the Asuras and having conquered these mighty forces He returned with His victorious hosts to celebrate in each of these abodes, the sacrificial victory.

Thirupparankunram

It is one thousand and fifty feet above sea level situated on a beautiful setting of this hill with its lotus ponds, trailing carpets of flowers and swarms of bees and water fronts are described in Thirumurugatruppadai. The temple of Muruga is on the northern side of the hill and has five architectural sculptured landmarks.

The Gopuram is about one hundred and fifty feet high and inside the temple is the Kalyana Mandapam skirted by the sacred pool and the temple gardens. Thirupparankunram has continued to preserve its pristine beauty and holiness even to this day. Saint Thirugnanasambandar in his hymn said “Those who worship this Mount will get rid of all ills.”

Second abode Thirucheeralavai

In modern times it is called Thiruchendur or Sandanacholam and is situated in the eastern coastal belt of Thirunelveli district thirty five miles to the east of Thirunelveli town. The holiest of the holes face the ocean and the roaring waves beat against the shores ceaselessly reminding one of the groaning humanity who wallow the sea of samsaric misery and dash against the haven of Muruga for repose and solace. It is a popular and favoured shrine for the devotees.

Thiruvavinkudi (Palani)

The next favoured abode of Muruga is Thiruvavinkudi popularly knowns as Palani – the mount of meditation. The poet Nakkirar gives a poetic description of aerial procession of Gods and Goddesses and the celestials of surpassing beauty. The tri-unity with Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra the Gandharvas, Indra, the seers and rishis of great powers wend their way to Palani where God Muruga and His consort devayanai abide. They move from their ethereal s heres to pay their homage to Muruga to get blessings. It is notable that Muruga and His Arul-Sakti are without form in this shrine. In Thirupparankunram He is with and without form whereas He is with form in Thirucheeralavai. In contrast to this Muruga in Thiruveragam moves through the potency of the mantras, sacred formula and secret invocation (prayer). They move in such stately array to Thiruvavinkudi the modern hill of Palani on a deputation to plead for the mitigation of Brahma’s punishment. It has a philosophical meaning.

The imprisonment of Brahma the four faced God represents the restraint of the mind with four substrata under the supreme control of the divine knowledge. Muruga is considered as the Lord of the cosmos including the Sun, the Moon and the stars of the sky as portrayed by Nakkirar.

Thiruverakam

Thiruverakam ode forms the fourth in the series of padaividu (encampments) described by Nakkirar. Here the Brahmins, well versed in sacred scriptures offering fragrant flowers, sign and glorify Him, and so. He loves to dwell at Thiruveragam too.

This is the whole import of the lyric. The workship of God Muruga by the Brahmins was in various forms. Popular among them was the worship by means of velvi or sacrificial fires. God was supposed to be in the form of light and fire, and sacred things were put in to the fire in the belief that they were accepted by God.

The ancient kings patronized the cult of worship of the sacrificial fires performed by the Brahims since sacrificial fires were believed to be the most delightful offerings to God and brought seasonal rains to the land and saved the country from disasters and external dangers in the forms of wars. Muruga was recognized as the guardian deity of the cult of sacrificial fires. The chanting of holy mantra induces to kindle the inward flame of devotion and help in the concentration of the individual.

A fusion of vedic worship with the ritual worship is found in Thirumurugatrupadai and Paripadal. The significance of meditation and the chanting of holy six letters of Muruga is referred to in Thirumurugatrupadai.

The chanting of mystic letters of spiritual potency is the propelling force of an inward spiritual pilgrimage in the form of an introspective meditation. The focal point of meditation is said to undergo a shifting process from the lower centres or adharas to the highest centre passing through six stages can be taken to be symbolically representing the six abodes of mauruga in Thirumurugarrupadai.

The concept of Muruga in mantra-form known as six letters sa-ra-va-na-ba-va is interpreted by the commentator Nachinarkkiniyar as Namo Kumarage. In the holy six letters it implies that He is the source of twenty-five eternal tattwas.

Thus Muruga abides in Thiruveragam as the kumaraguru, the preceptor of twice born antanars who worship Him by the incarnation of His six letters sa ra va na ba va.

Kunrutoradal – the sport on the hills

In Thirumurugatrupadai, the poem on Kunrutoradal, Muruga is descrbied as the God who loves to sport on the hills. This section gives us a graphic picture of the rites and ceremonies of the hill tribes. There is a vivid description of the kurava dances and the ceremonies they enact. “While the hill tribes drink and dance, the Ceyon, the Red one, has the permanent habit of dancing with the maids on all the hill fronts.”

The hill folks were hunters and they conceived their God as the source of heroism and energy. Temples were erected on the top of hills to worship Him in the form of a warrior God. The inhabitants celebrated God Muruga as their guardian deity believed that the welfare of the tribe was His concern.

Pazhamuthircholai – the grove of grace

Pazhamuthircholai another abode of Muruga in Thirumurugarrupadai, is identified with Tirumaliruncholai which is regarded by most scholars as the present Alagarmalai near Madurai.

Silappathikaram describes the Cilambaru of the temple as the waterfall of great force. Poet Nakkirar when describing the scenery of Pazhamuthircholai has mentioned about this waterfall. Thirumalirunkunram or Thirumalirunchcholai were the names cherished by the Vaishnava devotees.

Cholaimalai or Pazhamuthircholai were the names celebrated by the devotees of Muruga. The abode of azhamuthircholai according to Alagar Kalambagam was the abode of both the God Meyon and Ceyon ie of Thirumal of Vaishnavites and Ceyon (Muruga) of the Savites. Most probably this was the abode of Tirumal as well as the temple of Muruga in Nakkirar’s time. It is notable that anyone visiting the Nallur Kandasamy temple in Jaffna could notice the abovementioned six abodes temple of Lord Muruga depicted in beautiful paintings in the inner courtyard of the temple. Another noteworthy feature is that God Muruga favoured mountains as His abodes and Kataragama temple is a striking example to testify it.

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* Used more as a therapy

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* Tulpule used yoga in the treatment of myocardial infarction

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