Vaikasi Visakam - 25/05/2021, Tuesday
Vaikasi Visakam is observed the birthday of Lord Muruga. It falls on the full moon day in the month of Vaikasi on the Visakam star. The birth anniversary of Lord Muruga, who is also known as God of Courage, Wealth and Wisdom. It is performed with a special Puja to Lord Muruga.
Birth of Muruga
Lord Muruga incarnated to destroy the demons – Surapadma, Tarakasura, and Singamugha. They were causing untold misery to the Gods by keeping them enslaved for ages. The Gods implore Shiva for help.
Lord Shiva meditated and six sparks of fire emanated from his third eye, hence he is called Skanda. The fiery sparks were too unbearable and so was carried to the sacred River Ganges by Agni and Vayu, who dropped them there.
Mother Ganges carried the fiery sparks to pond Saravana, which was covered by water reeds (Saravana Poigai). The sparks transformed and Lord Muruga manifested here as six babies on six lotuses that bloomed from the pond. The six babies were nursed by the six Nakshatras called six Kritikas, who are the stars of the constellation Pleiades. Hence he is called Kartikeya, son of krittakas.
Arupadai Veedu
It is celebrated for Arupadaiveedu of Lord Muruga or the six abodes of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu.
These temples are,
1. Subramanya Swamy Temple @ Thiruparankundram
Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple is the first among the 6 Padai Veedu Lord Muruga Temple. It is located in the outskirts of Madurai City. This temple is considered very auspicious for conducting marriages, since as per the mythology it is here the divine marriage of Lord Murugan and Goddess Deivanai took place.
Of the Six Padai Veedu temples, this is the only temple where abishekam is performed for Vel instead of Lord Murugan. The Lord is praised by Saints Nakkeerar and Arunagirinathar.
2. Subramanya swamy Temple @ Thiruchendur
Thiruchendur Murugan Temple is the second among the Arupadai Veedu Lord Muruga Temple. It is located in the sea shore in Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) District of Tamilnadu.
Thiruchendur alone is situated in the seashore and the rest are all situated in hills. Where the Head (Commander-in-chief) goes for battle and stays with his army is called "Padai Veedu". Hence, Thiruchendur is the only place where Lord Murugan with his army stayed, when he went to destroy Demon Soorapadman. The temple commemorates the event, "Soorasamharam" in a grand manner every year.
Soorasamharam, a reenactment of the victory over Surapadman, and Kanda Shasti Kavasam, a devotional song in praise of Lord Muruga are performed at the temple. The inner sanctum of the temple is in a cave and the main deity, or moolavar, is Murugan as a saintly child, portrayed in a granite carving.
Naazhi Kinaru, a sacred well fed by a freshwater spring, is located 100 m (330 ft) south of the temple. Devotees undergo a ritual cleansing by bathing in water from the well after bathing in the ocean.
3. Dandayuthapani Swamy Temple @ Pazhani
Pazhani (Palani) is situated in Dindigul District, on the Palani hill bottom (Malai Adivaram) called Thiruaavinankudi, where the temple deity is known as "Kuzhanthai Velayuthaswami". Palani also has the scriptural name as Pothigai.
The legend is that this lord was worshipped by Goddess Lakshmi ('Thiru' in Tamil), the sacred cow Kamadhenu ('Aa' in Tamil), the sun God Suryan ('Inan' in Tamil), the earth goddess ('ku' in Tamil), and the fire god Agni ('Di' in Tamil), hence the place called "Thiruaavinankudi".
The hill top temple has 690 steps where "Dhandayuthapani" is the main deity, in a meditating state, carrying a staff ('danda') as weapon ('ayutha') in his hands ('pani'). Here, the main deity is made out of Navabashanam and was created and established by Siddhar Bhogar.
Great Tamil poet Avvaiyar, known not only for her poetic excellence but also for wisdom, called Murugan "Pazham Nee" so the place came to be known as Pazhani.
This is the place where Murugan resided after his feud with his family over a divine fruit.
4. Swaminatha Swamy Temple at Swamimalai
Swamimalai is 5 kms away from Kumbakonam, the temple is built on an artificial hill. There are 60 steps to reach the hill temple representing the 60 Tamil Years. The temple commemorates the incident where Murugan explained the essence of the pranava mantram "Om" to his father Lord Shiva.
Swamimalai is the 4th Padiaveedu of Lord Murugan. As the Lord was a Guru to his father Lord Shiva, the place is revered as Gurumalai and Swamimalai.
5. Subramanya Swamy Temple at Thiruthani
75 kms from Chennai, Murugan reclaimed his inner peace after waging a war with Demon Soorapadman. The hill temple has 365 steps representing the days of a year Lord Murugan met Valli near to this place and married her in this place.
Lord Rama, after putting an end to Ravana, worshipped Lord Siva at Rameswaram and then came to Tiruttani to find perfect peace of mind by worshipping Lord Subrahmanya here.
In Dwapara Yuga, Arjuna got the blessings by offering prayers to Him on his way to the South for Teertha Yatra.
Vishnu prayed to the Lord and got back his powerful Chakra (sacred wheel), Shanku (sacred conch), which were forcibly seized from him by Tarakasura, brother of Soorapadma.
Vishnu prayed to the Lord and got back his powerful Chakra (sacred wheel), Shanku (sacred conch), which were forcibly seized from him by Tarakasura, brother of Soorapadma.
Lord Brahma propitiated the Lord here at the holy spring known as Brahmasonai after his imprisonment by our Lord for his failure to explain the Pranava ('Om' mantra) and got back his creative function of which he was deprived by our Lord due to his egotistic impudence in neglecting to worship Subrahmanya on his way to Mount Kailasa to worship Siva. The final steps to the eastern entrance.
On worshipping at Thanikai, the king of snakes Vasuki got his bodily wounds healed, which had been caused during the churning process in the Milky Ocean to secure the Amrita (nectar of immortality) by the devas and asuras when the Mantotra Mountain was used as the churning base and the snake king Vasuki as the rope.
Sage Agasthyar Muni (of Potikai Hill) worshipped Muruga at Tanikai when he was blessed with the divine gift of the Tamil language
The place was called Thiruthanigai earlier and the name now changed as Thiruthani.
6. Subramanya Swamy Temple at Pazhamudircholai
This is 20 kms from Madurai and located on Solaimalai hill with a holy stream nearby called "Nupura Gangai". Out of the six Arupadai Veedu temples, this is the only place where he graces the devotees with his consorts Valli and Deivanai.
Also, this is the historical place where the Lord played with the great Tamil poetess Avvaiyar asking her what fruit she wished, roasted or unroasted – Sutta Pazham or Sudadha Pazham.
Sutta Pazham Venduma? Sudatha Pazham Venduma?
One day Avvaiyar became tired while travelling under the hot sun and sought refuge under the shadow of a fruit tree, hungry and thirsty, when a boy who sitting on the tree asked her whether she wanted fruits from the tree.
When Avvaiyar told him that she did, the boy asked Avvaiyar whether she wanted roasted fruits or unroasted fruits. Avvaiyar who was a famous Tamil poet and incredibly knowledgeable litterateur scoffed silently at the very thought of the existence of a "roasted fruit" and decided that the boy didn't have knowledge even about a fruit.
However, tired as she was, she decided that she didn't want to argue with the boy and asked him to pick unroasted fruits for her, which the boy then proceeded to do. Several fruits fell out of the tree and Avvaiyar picked them up,blowing on them to remove the sand. Smiling, the boy asked Avvaiyar if she was blowing on his "roasted fruits" to cool them.
Avvaiyar was astonished as to how a small village cowboy could have played such an intelligent drama.
Blowing on the fruit to remove the sand was indeed poetically comparable to an attempt to cool "roasted fruits". Humbled by the immense poetic knowledge and clever wordplay of the boy, Avvaiyar begged the boy to reveal his true identity, unable to reconcile herself with the fact that a simple cowherd could have such profound thoughts.
The boy then disappeared and in his place, Muruga appeared. Avvaiyar, stunned to find herself in Divine Company, bowed in obeisance and realising the infinite nature of knowledge, prayed to Muruga to bless her and continue bestowing his Infinite Grace on her to aid her virtually endless quest for knowledge.
By chanting Kandha Sashti Kavacham, Subramanya bhujangam and other Murugan stotras on this birthday of Muruga (Vaikasi Visakam), we will get rid of all our problems and have helathy & peaceful life.
Click here to chant Karthikeya Stotram and Subramanya bhujangam.
... Om Saravana Bhava ...
