Lord Skanda-Murugan
 

Sri Muruga - Legend, Short Stories and Worship

Encyclopaedia on Lord Muruga for free download

Om Gam Ganapathaye Namaha !  Om Sharavana Bhava !
Dedicated to Satguru Sharavana Baba a.k.a. Shri Murali Krishna Swamigal
Now available to devotees for free download

An admirable encyclopaedia on Lord Muruga
An admirable encyclopaedia on Lord Muruga
Book: Sri Muruga
Author: Rahul Kabade
Published by: Sri Muruga Publications (Britain)
Pages: 194
Now available for free download as an e-book

This could well be the most comprehensive book in English on Muruga, the handsome son of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati and the brother of Lord Ganesha.

The six-faced god is the most loved deity among Tamils in India and around the world. Author Rahul Kabade fell in love with Muruga after meeting Satguru Sri Sharavana Baba whose grace resulted in his visits to numerous Muruga temples in southern India and abroad. Most literature about the god exists in Sanskrit, Malayalam or Tamil, but Kabade, a Marathi with no knowledge of the Dravidian languages, has done a truly admirable job.

Despite his strong following in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu in particular, the peacock-riding Muruga - Kabade says - was worshipped even during the Gupta period, as was evident from the discovery of coins and sculptures depicting Muruga in the traditional warrior pose. It is Muruga - also known by numerous other names including Murugan, Karttikeya, Subramanya, Skanda, et al. - who taught Tamil to sage Agastya when he moved from northern to southern India.

Using his story telling abilities, Kabade delves into ancient literature on Muruga and takes the reader to all the major temples dedicated to the god, mostly in Tamil Nadu. One of them, close to Vellore, was built around 5,000 years ago! The author unveils many tales surrounding the god, detailing ancient sage poets as well as Adi Sankara whose lyrics in honour of Muruga are sung even today. This is undoubtedly a must read for students of Hindu religion and Muruga devotees.
  • A book presenting a comprehensive understanding of the glory of the infinite Lord Muruga
  • The spectacular legend of his birth. A fascinating account of the battle with Tarakasuran and Surapadman
  • Various names of Murugan i.e. Skanda, Shanmukha, Subrahmanya, Karthikeya, Guha, Velayudha, Swaminatha and their meaning

Short stories and great saints of Murugan tradition. Aaru-padai Veedu, various temples and their history, festivals, rituals, worship and importance of symbols of Lord Murugan. Esoteric meaning behind Murugan worship and a spiritual view in everyday life. A modern day easy to read book.

What’s Inside the Book?
• Comprehensive understanding of the glory of the infinite Lord Muruga.
• The spectacular legend of his birth.
• A fascinating account of the battle with Tarakasuran and Surapadman.
• Aaru-padai Veedu, six abodes, various temples and their history.
• Festivals, rituals, worship and importance of symbols of Lord Murugan



What's Inside the Book?
Reader reviews

"A Crisp, Authoritative Work on Murugan", October 4, 2012
By
Scott Lewis
This review is from: Sri Muruga (Kindle Edition)
Length:: 2:41 Mins

This is an authoritative and very well written book on a Hindu god that has not been covered well in English. It's an enjoyable read, and should be in every broad-based theological library. Highly recommended.

Glory of the infinite Lord Muruga. Amazon Reviews

"A discovery of love and purity!" October 4, 2012
By
Devendra

This review is from: Sri Muruga (Kindle Edition)
For anyone with an interest in Indian mythology and Hindu spirituality, this book is an engrossing treasure of information and entertaining tales. Being a `north' Indian, I do not have much exposure to Tamil or `south' Indian traditions, so it was quite fascinating to read this account of Lord Murugan. Though my grandmother was a devotee of his father, Lord Shiva (chanting his name almost non-stop and even naming my father after him), I - for one -- had absolutely no idea about the existence or importance of Murugan till I chanced upon this book.

Unlike me, the author who is now a follower of Satguru Sri Sharavana Baba -- believed to be a living incarnation of Murugan - did not find a single source of information in English that could describe the legend, birth, divine play, popular stories, prominent temples and common festivals related to Murugan. According to the author, "There are very few books in English, even today, that could provide a comprehensive understanding of the glory of Murugan. This inspired me to compile this book."

The problem is that among the many deities present in the Hindu tradition, the birth and life of Murugan is the most complicated since he is not only known by different names but also worshipped in different forms in different traditions. The Vedas and Puranas too have different interpretations about how Murugan came into being.

The book doesn't aim to contest historical accuracy, where there are different versions, but captures the most important stories and their significance and meaning. And in this noble task, the author succeeds very well by presenting readers with a book that is not only informative but very readable. Each nugget of information is coupled with its meaning in our lives, offering us clues about what we need to do to benefit from the lessons contained in the book.

By assuming the form of a human and undergoing love pangs (the book contains details of Murugan's two marriages), Murugan showed that any amount of obstacles can be overcome if we are resilient and have pure love in our hearts. In fact, purity of heart is a recurring theme in the book -- which is wonderful for this book, too turns out to be a perfect embodiment of a pure spirit.


Om Sharavana Bhava!

• Do you want to know more about Lord Muruga?

Find the answer to all these questions..

• What do his various names mean?

Skanda, Subrahmanya, Karthikeya, Guha, Swaminatha, Velayudha, Shanmukha ….and many more

• How does chanting his moola mantra help?

•What does Palani signify?

•Deviyani and Valli mean what?

•Who is Swaminatha?

Om Sharavana Bhava!

• Who were the saints that dedicated their life to Lord Muruga? What did they do?

• How does the mysterious Murugan work?

• How do I pray to Lord Muruga? What is Subrahmanya Ashtottara

• How can Murugan worship change my life? and much much more…

• How was he born?

• What does his yantra and number six mean?

• What does the peacock and Vel stand for in our lives?