KANDHA PURANAM
THE STORY
AS TOLD BY
KACHCHIYAPPA SIVACHARYAR OF KANCHI
PART I

 
Murugan with consorts
Piranmalai
Sung by Arunagirinathar
Murugan danced to the song by Arunagiri

      Here is a very brief and concise form of the Kandha Puranam.
     This is based on the Kandha Puranam of Kachchiyappa Sivachchariyar of Kanchi.
   
    The Story:

     There was one damsel called Maayaa. She was the daughter of a class of super-humans called Asuras. She developed further superhuman powers.
     Once she went to a very powerful Rishi and paid homageto him. She stayed with him and did great service during the time that the rishi was doing penance and austerities.
     The grateful rishi granted her whatever boons she would like to have.
     The crafty Maayaa, asked him to father her children who should be very powerful.
     The rishi complied and thus were born, Suurapadman, Singgamukan, Thaarakan, and a daughter called AjOmukhi and many others.
     The others were in bizarre forms, shapes, and sizes.

     Maayaa taught her sons some very powerful mantras and told them to perform penances which were unequalled in every way.
     They did so and got many boons and powers from Siva.
     Suuran asked some additional boons. 'That he should be invincible and all the one thousand and eight universes should be become his domains. Nobody should be able to harm him. That if he is to die, it should be only by the power of Siva, Himself.

     Then he and his brothers went on a rampage that took them to the furthest corners of the universes.
     They conquered the Deva Lokam and all the Devas became his servants. Many like Jayanthan, the son of Indra, were imprisoned . Only Indra, the Lord of the Devas escaped. He left his wife, Indrani under the custody of Saastha -Aiyanaar, the son of Siva and leader of his hosts.

     Indra himself took a sukshma form and took his place in one of the strands of fibre in the stalk of a lotus plant. And there he was, doing penance to Lord Siva for deliverance.
     Suuran ruled long and victoriously. His atrocities became intolerable.
     Finally the Devas decided to get Siva to destroy Suuran.
     But Suuran was a very staunch devotee of Siva.
     Furthermore, Siva had given unbreakable boons to Suuran.
     Hence, he would not destroy his own devotee.
     So......
     Who could kill Suuran, then?
     The Power of Siva!
     That's it!
     Siva's power - the Son of Siva Himself, who should incarnate for this very purpose.
     But Siva was deep in meditation.
     Whom does He meditate upon?

Kandha Puranam -#2

     In that situation there was no opportunity for Siva to beget a son through his spouse Parvathi. So the Devas asked Manmathan, the Deva of Love to shoot his amorous arrows at Siva and incite love in Him so that he would get a child through Parvathi. Manmathan was afraid but the Devas exhorted him to do it anyway.

     He went, he saw, and he was vanquished.
     Siva at that last moment just opened His third eye very very slightly.
     A mini-lightning type of spark flew at Manmathan and Lo!
    He became a heap of ashes.
     Rathi Devi, the wife of Manmathan came lamenting and pleading to Siva and Siva made Manmathan be visible only to Rathi.
     Siva also knew about the plight of the Devas and their wish. So, Siva opened his third eye again.
     Out sprang six very hot luminous sparks of Celestial Fire.
    The God of Fire, Agni was ordered to bear them. But Agni could not.
He took them with the help of Vayu, the Wind God and placed them in the Gangga. Gangga Devi took the sparks to a beautiful pond called SaravaNa Poygai.
     The sparks occupied six lotuses and took the form of six babies.

     Six Celestial Maidens called Karththikai Maathar were assigned to look after the six babies and nursed them and fed them.
     After some time, Siva came along with Parvathi. Parvathi took all the six babies and embraced them together. The six babies took the form of a single baby but with six faces and twelve arms.
     In the meanwhile, the anklet worn by Parvathi split and out of it nine gem stones rolled out. From those stones, nine warriors rose. They were the 'Nava Viirar' and were regarded as the younger brothers and warriors of Murugan. The eldest of them was called Viira Baahu. The others had names starting with 'Viira'. Some of the names of Murugan are derived from some of the facts in this story.

Kandhan - because the six babies were joined into one.

KaarthikEyan - having been brought up by Kaarththikai PeNkaL.

ShaNmukan or ARumukan - six-faced.

GaanggEyan - born by Gangga

Siva Kumaaran or Siva Balan - Son of Siva. Although Ganesa is also the son of Siva, this name is commonly attributed more to Murugan.

     The Kandha Puranam describes in detail, the exploits of Murugan as a child and a boy.
     One of them involves an interesting incident.
     The boyhood Murugan was playing ball once. He was using the peaks on MEru Mountain as balls. This angered Indra, the Lord of the Celestial Beings. He tried to stop Murugan but ended up fighting a battle which Indra lost. So he surrendered to Murugan.
     Murugan showed Indra and his devas, his 'Visva RUpa Dharisanam'.
     Then He showed them His 'Shanmuka RUpam'. With the blessings of Siva and Parvathi, an immense beautiful city was built. This was named as the 'Skandha Giri'. This was made into the abode of Murugan.
     Then Murugan was anointed as the 'DEva SEnaapathi' - the Supreme Commander of the DEva Army.
     Just as Siva has Kailash as His abode, VishNu - PaaRkadal and SriVaikuntam, GanEsa has 'Aanandha LOkam'. RajarajEswary has the SriNagaram.
     Murugan's abode is Skandha Giri. But all the mountains and peaks are also His.

            Once, Naradha Rishi performed a Yaga sacrifice.

     But out of the Yaga, a fierce ram came out. It started on a rampage of all the worlds. Nobody could suppress it. Ultimately the DEvas took refuge in Murugan and asked Him to tame the ram. Murugan sent Viira Baahu to bring it to Him. Viira Baahu searched out the ram and pulled it by its horns to Murugan. The ram was subsequently tamed and it was made into the vehicle of Murugan.

     Before the peacock became His vehicle, it was the ram.The ram is associated with Murugan and Agni in more ways than one. Both of them share the same sign of the Zodiac - Aries - The Ram.

     The Karththikai asterism - Pleiades - is otherwise known as Agni Natchaththiram. This asterism is associated directly with Murugan. The ram is the vehicle of Agni also.
    Apart from the peacock and ram, Murugan has also the elephant called PiNimugam as his vehicle.

     The next important episode concerns Brahma.

     Once Brahma, the Creator in the Trimurthi Trilogy, came to visit Siva in Kailaayam.
     Murugan was playing there. Just before Brahma entered the portals, Murugan saw him. But Brahma ignored Murugan, thinking that He was just a small boy. When Brahma was returning, he again ignored Him. Murugan called Brahma and asked him who he was. Brahma haughtily answered that he was Brahma. Murugan asked him what his business was.
     Brahma told Him, "My job is to create Devas, humans, etc. Nobody can create the Universe as I do. I know all the 18 Vidyas. I am the personification of Vidh - Knowledge".
     Murugan asked Brahma what he knew.

     Murugan asked, "Among the 18 Vidyas, the first Vidya is Rig Veda. How many padhams are there in it? An elder person like you should instruct younger people like me."

     Brahma started to recite the Rig Veda from the beginning. He began with the PraNavam.

     When he came to the syllable 'Om', Baala Murugan nodded His head and told him to stop.

     "Without any doubt rising in our minds, tell us fast, the meaning of 'Om'".

       Brahma started to recite the Rig VEda from the beginning. When he came to the syllable 'Om', Baala Murugan nodded His head and told him to stop.

     "Without any doubt rising in our minds, tell us fast, the meaning of 'Om'".

     Brahma said, "I am the meaning of this PraNavam".

     On hearing this heresy, ViiraBaahu, the companian and younger brother of BaalaMurugan, was filled with anger and clenching his fists, boxed Brahma's head, so that all the directions resounded with the echo of the punch.

     Thereafter, ViiraBaahu placed Brahma in a prison in KandhaGiri.

     Even though Brahma was thus incapacitated, creation had to take place. So Murugan took over the function of the creator. He acquired the japamaalai and kamaNdalu and started creating.

     In this functional form, Murugan is known as the 'Brahma Saastha'.

     KandhaGiri is the abode of Murugan. It is like Kailaasam - the abode of Siva; SriPuram - the abode of DEvi; SriVaikuntam - the abode of VishNu; and AandhaLokam - the abode of Vinaayagar.

     All DEvas, Rishis and others prayed to Siva to intervene in this affair and get Brahma released.

     Siva sent Nandhi for the task but he was sent away.

     Siva Himself came to Murugan and beseeched Him for the release. So, Murugan released Brahma.

     You can see the picture of Murugan as the Brahma Saastha.

     His Sakthi is on His right. Brahma stands in obeisance at His left.

 

BRAHMASASTHA

     Thereafter, Sivan asked Murugan why He had imprisoned Brahma. Murugan told Him that Brahma said that he was the embodiment of all knowledge. On being asked the meaning of PraNavam, Brahma could not answer. Hence the imprisonment.

     Sivan asked Murugan to tell the meaning of PraNavam in front of the DEvas.
     Murugan told Sivan that the meaning of PraNavam is the most guarded secret. It cannot be told in front of everybody. It can only be told in the manner of Guru and Sishya. In fact this rule was created by Sivan Himself. This rule cannot be broken.

     Sivan asked Murugan to tell Him the meaning in His ear. Murugan told the meaning in the manner of upadEsam.

     Hence Murugan is known as SivaGuru, SivaGurunathan,
ThagappanSwami, Guruswami, Gurunathan, KumaraGuru, GuruGuhan,
ParamaGuru and SkandhaGuru.

     After Murugan revealed the meaning of Pranavam to Siva, Siva explained the true nature of Subrahmanya to Parvathi and the meanings and significance of all the names of Murugan - Skandhan, Arumugam, KarthikEyan, Paarvathinandhanan, Agnibhu, Guhan, Saravanan, Subrahmanyan, MahaasEnan, GaangEyan, SEnaani, etc.

     Just as one lamp lights another lamp, Murugan is from Siva.

    Murugan was manifetsted from the six sparks from the third eye of Siva.
    It does not mean that because Murugan came from the Third eye, He is lesser than Siva.
    Just because Murugan got manifetsed from the sparks from Siva, it does not mean that Siva got diminished by the substraction of Murugan from Himself.
    This is Infinite fullnes; that is Infinite Fullness. Infinite fullness is born from Infinite Fullness. What comes out is Infinite Fullness. What remains thereafter is Infinite Fullness.
    Thats what the Isopanishad says.

Om pUrNamadah pUrNamidam
pUrNAt pUrNamudachyate
pUrNasya pUrNamAdAya
pUrNamEva AvashiShyate

Om shAntih, shAntih, shAntihi

    VIDYALANKARA
DR.S.JAYABARATHI

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