SKANDA SASHTI

Falls on the sixth day after Deepavali (in October-November) and is a hallowed vrata. On this day, Lord Muruga vanquished the demon Surapadman. This is celebrated with great eclat in temples, especially in the six places sacred to Muruga (aaru padai veedu, in Tamil) – Tiruchendur, Tirupparankunram, Pazhamudir solai, Palani, Swamimalai, and Tiruttani. Legend has it that the demon Surapadman performed the most rigorous penance, obtained rare boons, and, armed with the power of those boons, harassed Devas and humans. The Lord – who has two kinds of compassion, dharmic and punitive (arak karunai, marak karunai, in Tamil), the first for the good and the second for those that are evil – deployed his punitive compassion on Surapadman, who, despite being a demon, had secured divine boons through hard penance. The Lord felt that Surapadman ought not to be consigned to the nether world naraka because of his arrogance, making waste the boons obtained by him. Therefore, Muruga battled with the demon, cut his body into two halves, and, converting one half into a peacock and the other into a flag, took the first for his mount and the other for his insignia, thus blessing Surapadman. This legend has an inner import. A soul mired in the sin of arrogance will not attain divinity and will be born again and again to troubled existence on earth. The Lord alone can remove the sin. Thus, out of his compassion, the Lord destroyed the physical body housing Surapadman’s arrogance and absorbed into himself the demon’s cleansed soul. Observance of Skanda Sashti vrata begins on prathama in moon’s waxing phase in Aippasi. For six days from that day, one worships Muruga, limiting meals to one each day and eating just a little of what is offered to the Lord. Those unable to do so can take some milk and fruits at other times. In the six holy places identified with Lord Muruga, thousands of the devout fast on all six days, taking but the holy water spooned out in the shrine. One can also observe the austerity by taking milk and fruits on the first five days and fasting completely on the sixth, Sashti. On the seventh day, one has to offer curd rice to the Lord; then break the fast, eating prasad along with others. In the Singara Velar temple in Sikkil, close to Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, Lord Muruga breaks out into pearl-like perspiration as he accepts a lance (Vel) from his mother Parvati in preparation for the battle with the demon during the Sura Samhara festival. This is an annual miracle thrilling the devout.

THIRUKKARTHIKAI

Karthikai (November-December), which takes its name from the Karthikai star falling on its full moon day, is favored for worship of both Shiva and Muruga. Vedas and puranas hail the Almighty as embodying the five elements, apah, vayu, tejas, prithvi, akasa (water, wind, light, earth and ether). Karthikai is the month set apart for worship of Shiva in his embodiment of light. Because of the confluence of Karthikai star and full moon day in this month, it is favored for worship of Muruga who, born in a spark from Shiva’s jnanagni, was brought up by Kruthika maidens. In Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu worship of the Almighty as light, called Annamalai Deepam, has gone on since ancient times. The soma vara vratam is ideal for Shiva. On soma vara – Mondays – in Karthikai month, the devout in Tamil Nadu and Andhra worship Shiva with shankabhishekam, with 108 or 1,008 conch shells. Annamalai Puranam has this explanation for Karthikai Deepam festival. Brahma and Vishnu once engaged in an argument about who of the two was greater, and agreed that it would be the one who saw the head or feet of the Almighty. Brahma then took on the form of a swan and went in search of the head of God. Maha Vishnu took on the form of a boar, and, digging away at the earth, went in search of God’s feet. Vishnu could not reach it and conceded his defeat. Brahma, however, claimed falsely that he had seen God’s head. In consequence, the Almighty manifested himself as a flame and said, “Wherever a temple for me exists, there shall also be a temple for Vishnu, but not for Brahma.” It is this manifestation of the Almighty as a flame that we worship on Thirukkarthikai. The legend has also the import that God can be realized only through love, not with conceit; also, it is only through goodness or satvika the Lord’s grace is realized, not with an upward gaze, which is rajasa, nor with a downward look, which is tamasa.

Arudra Darsanam (Thiruvadirai)

falling on the day of Thiruvadirai star in Marghazhi (November-December), is a festival of great importance. The sweet dish offering on this day, Thiruvadirai kali, is something with which everyone is familiar. Arudra star is one of two stars that have the prefix “Thiru.” The other is Thiruvonam, favored for worship of Maha Vishnu. Thiruvadirai is favored for Shiva. Ancient texts say Arudra is the largest of the stars. Juxtaposed against it, planet earth is smaller than the point of a needle. Arudra is two-and-a-half crore times bigger than the sun. It has a diameter of 200 crore miles. And we learn from the Tamil scholar Kandasami Mudaliar that astronomers hold that if you place Arudra where the sun is, the star will extend beyond the earth and touch Sevvai (Mars). Arudra denotes a red flame. We call Shiva Semporjyoti or Golden Red Flame. It is in the form of light that the Lord performs his functions of creation, protection, destruction and concealment. Nataraja is the manifestation of the Lord as light. In the month Marghazhi, on the day when Thiruvadirai star and new moon coincide, we celebrate the ecstatic dance of Shiva. In Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, there is a great abhishekam for the Lord on Thiruvadirai day in Marghazhi. The sweet preparation kali is offered to the Lord and distributed as prasad to all. Obtaining the kali prasad connotes the devotees’ attainment of bliss through the Lord. There is an anecdote about how kali came to be the prasad on this day. A devotee called Sendanar had the habit of eating only whatever was left of the food offered to the Lord and then distributed among other devotees. On Thiruvadirai day in a Marghazhi, he could offer to the Almighty only some pittu and kali. With much regret that he could get nothing better, he offered these to the Lord. As he stood a little later in Nataraja’s sanctorum, the Lord effected a shower of pittu and kali on Sendanar, in recognition of his deep devotion. Since the day of that miracle, kali is the special offering to Lord Nataraja on Marghazhi Thiruvadirai. In Sirghazhi in Tamil Nadu, this day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Saint Thiru Gnana Sambandar and the day when that saint, while a baby, was breastfed by Parvati. In Thirupperundurai, the day is observed as the birthday of Saint Manickavachakar. Karanagama says we should worship the Divine Dancer on Thiruvadirai in exquisite Marghazhi.

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