Date:20/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/20/stories/2008082052560900.htm

Miscellaneous - Religion

Loving devotion

CHENNAI: Devotional hymns are unique in that they embody the God-steeped experiences of mystics. Devotional mysticism takes on several modes according to the relationship envisaged by the devotee with God. The most endearing type of devotional mysticism is that of parent-child love in which the devotee looks upon his favourite deity as a child. This unadulterated love not only makes God very engaging but also very accessible.

In his discourse, Nagai Sri Mukundan said the genre Pillai Tamizh in Tamil literature was the most ideal for adoring deities like Krishna and Muruga. Just as a child forges family bonds, devotion to God in the form of a baby reinforces the eternal bond between the individual soul (Jivatma) and the Supreme Being (Paramatma). One can see from experience that the mind becomes engaged with a child very easily forgetting all the worries of the world, and when this emotion (Bhava) becomes God-centred it is possible for the mind to attain concentration, which is the objective of spiritual practices like meditation.

The Skanda Purana in Sanskrit and the Kanda Puranam in Tamil are scriptural texts which celebrate the glory of Muruga (Subramanya, Kumara). The names Skanda and Kandan give insight into His birth and His role as the refuge of souls tormented by worldly afflictions and transmigration. They describe Muruga’s birth as the manifestation of Siva’s power in the form of sparks from His eye, which then transformed into six babies. They were found by the six maidens of the star Krithika on lotuses in the Saravana lake and they cared for them. When Parvathi went with Lord Siva to behold their babies, She hugged them all together lovingly when they fused into one form with six faces and twelve arms. Thus did Muruga come to be known as Kartikeya and Saravana.

The name Skanda denotes one who dispels the feeling of enmity in enemies, while Kandan though generally traced to Muruga becoming one in His mother’s arms, has a more nuanced meaning. It is derived from “Kandu” meaning a pillar in Tamil and hence Kandan means a pillar of support for His devotees.