The Divine Stories

  Kuppaasa vaazhkaiyul kooththaadum aivaril kodpu adaindha Ippaasa nenjanai eedetruvaai iru naangu verppum Appaadhiyaai vizha Merum kulunga vinnaarum uyyach Sappaaanik kottiya kai aaru irandu udaich Shanmuganey. “O Lord! When Your tiny hands came together in a playful clap, the mountains in all eight directions split into two and came crashing down, and even Mount Meru trembled because of it! For the sake of saving the Devas, You have performed countless such divine exploits. Do You not see me? I am caught in the whirlpool of worldly pleasures created by the illusion of the five senses, endlessly revolving within it and suffering. Will You not deliver me from this, O Six-Faced Lord with twelve mighty arms? Thus, he prays to the Lord. We shall meet again in the next post. Shanmugapriya K Sambathkumar 

  Oruvaraip pangil udaiyaal Kumaaranudai mani ser Thiruvaraik kinkini osaipada thidukkittu arakkar Veruvarath thikkuch sevidupattu ettu verppum kanakap Paruvaraik kunrum athirndhana devar payam kettadhe. The sound of the Kinkini , a beautiful ornament adorning the garment of Lord Murugan, the son of Ambika, who has the incomparable Lord Shiva as one half of Himself, can be heard. The very moment the asuras hear that sound, their hearts suddenly tremble with fear. The sound does not stop there. It spreads across all eight directions, reaching even the eight great mountains in those directions and making them tremble as though their ears were blocked. It spreads all the way to the golden Mount Meru and causes it to reverberate as well. Through this, Arunagirinathar speaks of the immense power of even the tiny ornament that adorns the body of Lord Murugan. If such immense power belongs to even the Lord’s peacock, rooster, and the tiny ornament that adorns His body , then how immea...

  Padaipatta Velavanpaal vandha vaagaip padhaagai ennum Thadaipatta seval siragadikkollach saladhi kizhinthu Udaipattadhu anda kadaagam uthirndhadhu udubadalam Idaipatta kundramum Maameru verppum idipattave. The Lord Murugan, the Mahasena who possesses a mighty army, holds in His hands the Vel and the rooster banner, the symbol of victory. When that rooster beats its wings, the ocean is torn apart, the shell that covers this universe is broken, the stars are thrown into confusion, and Mount Meru and all the other mountains crumble. Thus, in this verse, Arunagirinathar speaks of the immense power of the Lord’s rooster banner. Lord Murugan is the embodiment of six perfect divine qualities— wisdom, power, strength, valor, radiance, and prosperity. The heart of the Lord is pure and perfect, filled with purity, peace, generosity, humility, serenity, love, compassion, and clarity, completely free from all attachments. Whom did Lord Murugan truly destroy? Was it beings with bodies of...

Kusai negizhaa vetri velon avunar kudar kuzhambak Kasaiyidu vaasi visai konda vaaganap peeli-yin koththu Asaipadu kaalpattu asainthathu Meru adiyil en Thisaivarai thoolpatta aththoolin vaari thidar pattathu.     The Lord Murugan, who is worthy of victory and carries the Vel, sets out to destroy the asuras. Riding his peacock mount, which flies faster than a horse, he comes without loosening the reins. Because of the force created by the movement of the clusters of feathers on the peacock’s tail, even Mount Meru was shaken. The moment it placed its feet firmly on the ground, the mountains in all eight directions were shattered into pieces. The dust from them rose over the ocean, making even the ocean appear like raised land. Seeing the strength of the Lord’s vehicle, the intestines of the asuras trembled with fear. The Lord is always victorious. Therefore, he is called Vetri velavar , the Lord of the victorious Vel. In this verse, Arunagirinathar has praised not only the Lord...

Sollugaikku illai endru ellaam izhandhu summa irukkum ellaiyul sella enai vittavaa ikal velan nalla kolliyai serkkindra solliyai kalvaraik kovvai sevvaai valliyai pulkindra maalvarai thol annal vallabaney. “O Mighty Lord of the Vel! You whose mountain-like shoulders lovingly embrace Valli—the maiden of the Kurinji hills, she who sings in the sweet Kolli pann , whose lips are red like the kovai fruit, whose form is slender like the tender Valli creeper— You are the glorious One who guided me toward the silent state where nothing remains to be spoken.” In Sangam literature, the Valli creeper is a delicate millet vine that grows in the mountain regions. Like that tender creeper, Valli is portrayed as soft and graceful. Her lips are compared to the bright red kovai fruit. The melody she sings is the Kolli pann —a musical mode played on the Marudha yaazh during moments of love, longing, playful estrangement, and joy between lovers. And the Lord, with shoulders firm and majestic l...

Then endru paagu endru uvamikka onaa mozhi Deivavalli kon anru enakku upadesiththadhu ondru undu kooravanro vaan anru, kaal anru, thee anru, neer anru, mannum anru, thaan anru, naan anru, asareeri anru, sareeri anre. “Murugan, the consort of Valli—she whose words are so sweet that even honey and nectar seem lesser in comparison, she of the divine heart—revealed to me only one truth. Listen, and I shall tell you. It is not the sky. Not the wind. Not fire. Not water. Not earth. Not the self. Not even ‘I’. It is neither with form, nor without form.” Thus, with great eagerness, Arunagirinathar longs to share this truth with us. Why does he choose not merely to call the Lord “the Sweet One,” but instead “the husband of the sweet-spoken Valli”? Only upon reflecting deeply does its inner philosophy become clear. Here, Valli symbolizes the Jeevātma — the individual soul . Her speech is said to be sweeter than honey and nectar. This means she is one who never utters harsh words,...