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Infinite compassion

CHENNAI: The Skanda Purana details the glory of Lord Muruga and was composed by Sage Vyasa who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is unique because its sheer volume is well matched in quality and contains many elements worthy of note to interest and engage one’s attention. The Tamil version of this Purana, the Kanda Purana, was composed by one Kachiappa Sivachariar, a devout priest engaged in the service of Lord Subramanya at Kumara Kottam in Kanchipuram.

According to the account of this priest, his desire to sing the glory of Lord Muruga was fulfilled in a miraculous manner. When he started to compose the hymns, he felt the divine inspiration and as he wrote the verses every day, he would leave it in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. When he collected the manuscripts in the morning, there would be additions and deletions believed to be done by God Himself and hence this work is considered to be a most authentic autobiography of the Lord, pointed out Sri Mathivannan in a lecture.

From among the many sections in this Purana, there is much to learn about the infinite compassion of Lord Muruga and of the ways in which He tries to save humanity from the cycle of birth. Muruga is believed to have been born from Siva’s third eye (also renowned for the killing of Kama), to destroy the demon Soorapadman, whose increasing atrocities had to be curbed. Such was the nature of Soorapadman’s boon that none could vanquish him and the celestials sought the help of Lord Siva. Lord Siva created a new deity who would not be bound by this boon. This establishes that God is one but appears as many to enable individuals to worship according to their tastes.

In addition, the Purana reflects eternal values and truth that form the basis of ethical living. The stories and incidents of the celestials and humans who deal with the feelings arising from desire, anger, jealousy, greed, delusion and arrogance, etc., caution us against succumbing to these. For instance, the story of Daksha Yagna related in the Purana highlights the dire consequences that arise from arrogance and pride that refuses to acknowledge God’s greatness and glory.

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