TAMIL
Treatise on Lord Muruga
P. SUNDARESAN
KANDA PURANAM: Nagercoil Krishnan; Narmadha Pathippagam, 10, Nana Street, Pondy Bazaar, T. Nagar, Chennai-600017. Rs. 150.
THIS IS a superbly illustrated book on the Hindu epic, Kanda Puranam. Tracing from Vyasa’s monumental work in Sanskrit, Nagercoil Krishnan, the renowned author of Saiva saints, lays emphasis on the Tamil version of the sacred text by Kachiappa Sivachariar who in the 12th century composed as many as 10,345 verses.
How Sivachariar’s writing skills were honed to perfection by the deity enshrined in Kumarakottam temple, where he was serving as a priest, is sharply brought into focus. It was the Lord himself who interceded on his behalf and vouched for his scholarship when a gathering of pundits found fault with the use of the very first word in the opening verse of his work invoking the blessings of Vinayaka.
In his preface that contains a wealth of information, the author has drawn a parallel between Kanda Puranam and Sundara Kandam (in the Ramayana) and he says, like the Bhagavad Gita, it can be regarded as a means of spiritual development. The narration about the origin of the Vyasa’s work is fascinating.
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