1/18/22, 8:01 AM Thai Pusam Special: How Murugan Leads Devotees Into Battle And To Victory, In Both The

s Into Battle And To Victory, In Both The Inner And Outer Fields

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CULTURE

Thai Pusam Special: How Murugan Leads Devotees

Into Battle And To Victory, In Both The Inner And
Outer Fields
by Aravindan Neelakandan - Jan 28, 2021 06:36 AM

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1/18/22, 8:01 AM Thai Pusam Special: How Murugan Leads Devotees Into Battle And To Victory, In Both The Inner And Outer Fields

Murugan (Benson Kua/Flickr)

Snapshot
Thai Pusam is an appropriate day to remind ourselves that in the battle between the
inner devas and asuras, victory is guaranteed only when the divine commander-in-
chief—Murugan—fights for us.

Today is Thai Pusam: a special day in which Murugan is celebrated throughout

southern India and in parts of South East Asia.

Murugan is the beloved of the southern Indian people. As is the defining

characteristic of all Hindu deities, he has Vedic roots and diverse local
dimensions.

His dominantly symbolic weapon is the spear or vel.

Today, the politically motivated and racially tinged Dravidianist narrative is

trying to take over this popular Hindu festival of Tamil Nadu and de-Hinduize.

For example, while trying to justify M.K.Stalin holding a ceremonial ‘vel’ in a DMK
election rally organised in one of the sacred centres of Murugan worship,
‘Murasoli’ the official DMK magazine stated that the ‘vel’ was a secular symbol of
temporal power and that the very Kaumaric chant ‘Vetri vel veera vel’ has nothing
to do with Hindu spirituality.

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1/18/22, 8:01 AM Thai Pusam Special: How Murugan Leads Devotees Into Battle And To Victory, In Both The Inner And Outer Fields

So, on this auspicious day of Thai Pusam, let us look into the sacred lore of
Murugan and understand how spiritually precious and uniquely Hindu it is.

According to Puranic traditions, Murugan conquered the three asuric brothers –

Tarakasura, Simha-Mukasura and Sura-Padma with his ‘vel’.

These asuras, the sons of Maya and Maharishi Kashyapa, had sought boons of
invincibility from Shiva and an additional boon that their destruction should
come from Shiva Himself.

Being ardent Shiva bhaktas, they knew Shiva would never bring forth the
destruction of his own devotees.

With their invincibility thus ensured, they started creating havoc in all the
universes. They imprisoned all the devas, including Jayanta, the son of the chief
of the devas, Indra.

So, Shiva brought forth the essence of all his five faces, Ishana, Tatpurusha,
Satyojata, Vamadeva, Ahora. In addition to these five faces, a sixth face
emerged – Athomukha.

Thus, six sparks emanating from the six faces of Shiva became the six faced
Murugan – Kartikeya.

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Kanchi Kachiyapa Sivacharya, the composer of Kantha Puranam in Tamil, brings

out the nature of Murugan in this famous verse:

formless yet all forms

having no beginning at all

multitude variety infinite

and yet the One

that this Brahman all flame

essentializes into a body

with

compassion filled six faces

and hands twelve

that

One Auspicious Murugan

emerges

for the liberation

of the planet.

Among the episodes of divine play of Murugan as a child, the most famous is
the one where imprisons Brahma.

Brahma becomes conceited because he is the creator. So, he does not pay his
respects to Murugan who is in the form of a divine child.

Noticing the arrogance of the creator deity, Murugan calls him and asks who he
is and what does he do that he is so full of pride.
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Brahma answers that he is the creator. ‘How does he create the universe’, asks
the divine child.

Elementary my child! Of course, through the Vedas-- answers Brahma.

Oh! you know the Vedas?--the child asks innocently.

Yes!! What a question! Otherwise, how can I create?--laughs Brahma.

Please chant for me the Vedas--asks the child.

‘Aum…’ starts Brahma.

Stop--says Murugan.

What is Aum… explain its meaning--the child demanded in a commanding

voice.

Brahma realises his folly.

It is not he who creates. He in an instrument in projecting. And it is the

consciousness that is the ground of all projection. Maya which is Avyakta is the
first cause. Yet, he became conceited.

Ashamed of his own pride, he hangs his four heads down.

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Brahma is imprisoned.

Shiva comes to know of the event. He feigns anger at his dear son.

Murugan is summoned. Murugan faces Shiva.

You imprisoned Brahma because he does not understand the meaning of

Pranava. Do you know it yourself?--asks Shiva.

‘Yes’ says Murugan. 'I know'.

Tell me then--demands Shiva.

Murugan smiles.

'I shall. But now you should be my disciple. Be a disciple. Show me respect. I
shall be seated above and you shall learn while displaying the humility of a
seeker of spiritual knowledge'.

Sivan agrees.

Thus is born one of the most beautiful of the spiritual iconographies of

humanity. Murugan the child sitting and Shiva the father and the God of Gods,
humbly learning from him.

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His spear, the vel, was given to him by the Goddess herself. It symbolises divine
knowledge.

In Saiva Siddhanta, knowledge is of three types:

1. the knowledge of the bound self which is called the pasu-knowledge.

2. then there is knowledge of the pasam or the bondage – knowledge of the

strands that bind us.

3. then there is third knowledge which is the knowledge that liberates – the
knowledge of the pathi.

It will be quite an interesting exercise if we can make a comparative study of

these three kinds of knowledge with the three kinds of knowledge that Spinoza
talks about.

Vel represents this knowledge.

As Murugan goes to war to liberate the imprisoned divine forces, the asuras
refuse to consider Murugan as the essence of Shiva.

Thus, unknowingly, they go against Shiva – facilitating their own destruction

and defeat.

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Tarakasura used to take the form of a mountain and not an ordinary mountain
it would be.

Once inside its sphere of influence, the victim would be faced with illusions.

The forces of Skanda get caught in these illusions and faint.

Then Murugan employs the vel which destroys the mountain of delusions to
pieces. Tarakasura is killed.

Saiva Siddhanta speaks of three impurities which adhere to every atman. One is
maya, the entrapment in this enchanting caves of delusion. Vel, the spear of
knowledge destroys that into pieces.

Then comes the ferocious Simha-Mukasura.

Incidentally, the character of Simha-Mukasura or the lion-faced brother of Sura-

Padman is very much like Kumbhakarna in Ramayana. He knows he is on the
wrong side but he has to fight. It is the karmic entanglement.

That is the second impurity that clings to every atman – karma. Vel destroys
Simha-Mukasura also.

Then comes Sura-Padman himself – the chief antagonist.

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After a fierce battle, Murugan destroys all the forces of Sura-Padman and his
various magical missiles.

Sura-Padman seeks the assistance of his mother, Maya.

She advises him to surrender to the Divine but he insists that he needs only
assistance and not advice.

All the weapons of illusion he hurls at Murugan go in vain.

Eventually, he stands alone.

Now the asuric ego is given a fleeting glimpse of the Divine – its magnificent
cosmic form.

The form in which are embedded all divine forms, all life forms, all sentient
beings, all enlightened beings, all physical universes, all subtle realms, all
knowledge, all vibrations; the form without beginning and end came forth in all
its dazzling light before the asura.

And in that fleeting moment Sura-Padman realised that all his achievements
were contained in a single hair follicle of that Form before him. He stated:

Legs should go around and around His Form

Hands should again and again worship This Lord

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Tongue should ever sing His glory

(Mind) Should refrain from all evil acts

Life should ever be in Service of Him and yet

Only the egoistic self-respect stops me from doing these all!

But soon the ego takes over. The Cosmic form disappears. It is only a kid
standing before him in the battle field.

The child should be adept in sorcery, the asura reasons. He dismisses the vision
of Cosmic form as delusion and again enters into battle.

After taking various forms he finally takes the form of a tree.

A mango tree.

The vel cuts it and out emerged the peacock and cockerel. The former becomes
the mount of Murugan and the latter his flag mast.

Thus, the ego becomes not annihilated but transformed to serve the Divine.

The Kantha Purana thus becomes a manual for the seeker.

All the spiritual battles happen in the inner space, wherein the primal inner
impurities gain dominance over divine powers. Then, one needs Murugan as

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1/18/22, 8:01 AM Thai Pusam Special: How Murugan Leads Devotees Into Battle And To Victory, In Both The Inner And Outer Fields

the commander-in-chief of the devas to destroy and subdue the three inner
impurities.

But it is not only battle but also through romance that the divine woos the soul.

Valli, the daughter of the tribal chieftain, is the symbol of the soul.

Murugan, the divine whom the Vedas and the devas cannot reach, comes down
to the Earth for her.

She is guarding the millet plantation of the tribal community from the birds.
She uses the sling.

The mature millet plantation and the youthful innocent beauty of the girl – both
represent the spiritually mature soul shining with inner beauty.

The birds that come to prey upon are the various desires and distractions. The
sling shots are the eternal utterance of the names of the Divine.

Yet she rejects him as he comes in various forms, not knowing he is the one for
whom she has been born.

Disguised as a charming youthful hunter he tries to woo her. She is attracted

but at the same time would not give in.

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Then there comes her father and at once the young hunter becomes a Vengai
tree (Indian Kino tree: Pterocarpus marsupium).

Once the father leaves, Murugan assumes the form of the enchanting hunter
and starts wooing her again. Yet the girl would not yield.

After some time again the father comes. Now the young hunter takes the form
of an old man.

Looking at the saintly old man, the father thinks he would be a good
companion for his daughter in the forest.

Once the father goes, the old man demands some food. Valli gives him honey
and millet flour.

After eating, the old man starts flirting with her.

The girl is angry.

She scolds the old man and tells him to behave his age.

At this point, Murugan meditates on his elder brother Ganesha.

A wild elephant comes charging through the forest. Valli hugs the old man in
fear and there the Lord emerges in true form, and marries her.

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The Purana of Murugan provides a wonderful and sensational storyline filled

with wonderment.

Simultaneously it is also a manual for the seeker to understand the asuras and
devas within.

It helps the seeker to realise by himself that the good devas are powerless
before the more primal and stronger asuras who can derive their strength from
the very spiritual foundation common to both.

Yet, there is a way out.

It is through the battle that the Divine commander-in-chief fights for us. His
victory is certain. So is our liberation.

We can also decide whether we are the Valli or Sura-Padman or both. Kantha
Puranam is verily a spiritual odyssey unparalleled in spiritual literature in its
own way.

No wonder Murugan is the darling of the people of Tamil Nadu – the land of
Vedas and Dharma.

Aravindan is a contributing editor at Swarajya.

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Tags: Murugan, Skanda, Kartikeya, Thai Pusam, 

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P Govindarajan
9 mins ago

Let the lord give us strength to fight and win the present asuras who are the bigots,
athiests and antinational s.

1 Like Reply
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Nagaraj Pawathappa
18 mins ago

Very well explained Aravindan. Thank you.

Like Reply
Share

PRASAD 30 Jan 2021 at 12:20 AM

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1/18/22, 8:01 AM Thai Pusam Special: How Murugan Leads Devotees Into Battle And To Victory, In Both The Inner And Outer Fields
PRASAD 30 Jan 2021 at 12:20 AM

Thanks very much Aravindan. Wonderful explanation. Vetri Vel Muruganukku Arogaraa
!!. 🙏

2 Likes Reply
Share

LAUNGANI NIRMAL
29 Jan 2021 at 1:04 AM

Malaysian state Kedah has just axed this festival as a public holiday. Malaysia is a sham
secular state, it is an Islamic state in reality

1 Like Reply
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