Murugan, the ever-youthful
champion-deity of South Asian song, legend and literature, has long been far
more than His diminutive appearance suggests. Presenting the outward resemblance
of a boy or a youth (or any other form that pleases Him!), Guha
'the Mysterious' repeatedly surfaces in myth, lore and legend
from remote prehistory down to the present, for He always is in
the 'here and now' (Tamil: ippō-ingē), within and yet beyond time
and space.
Although best-known today as the God of the South (i.e. South
India and Sri Lanka), in His ancient Sanskritic aspect as Kārttikeya ('born of the Pleiades') Skanda (literally, 'the Leaper')
was for centuries one of India's most popular deities during the classical Gupta
age and even earlier in late Vedic times. And although uncounted thousands
of years old, this pan-Indian god of love, war, paradox and mystery continues
to exert His charm upon millions of young and old, urban and rural, rich
and poor alike even today at the dawn of a new millennium.
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The Sadkona Yantra or hexagram symbolising the balanced union of Father Principle (Shiva) and Mother Principle (Shakti), hence the Bambino or Divine Child. At center is the Tamil phoneme OM. Rings of fire protect its secret = sacred meaning from profane speculation. |
Just like holy Murugan himself, Murugan
bhakti has been around for a very long time -- ancient Tamil
Sangham poets sang His glory and told others how they too could obtain His
abundant grace or arul. Indeed bhakti, a Sanskrit word meaning
'participation' or 'involvement' (however interpreted as 'devotion' by early
Christian missionaries), had its roots not in North India at all but in
the Dravidian South where Murugan reigned then as today.
Whoever they were, the ancient Dravidian sages and seers themselves were undoubtedly Murugan
bhaktas -- spiritual enthusiasts who were not mere poets or observers
of the god's
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Murugan the shapeshifter. In an episode from the Kantapuranam, Murugan transforms into a venkai tree. Vall's father Nambi first orders the strange tree cut down, but when blood-red sap appears (to Valli's distress) he rescends the order. |
Tiru Vilaiyādal or Divine Play, but deeply involved participants as well. Whatever your background may be, if you call on Murugan Bhakti
even occasionally, sooner or later you are likely to feel attached to Skanda-Murugan
and the rainbow of spiritual paths that converge upon Him.
Whether you hail from East or West, North or South, and regardless of your self-identity
as student or teacher, professional or amateur, pragmatist or idealist, something extraordinary about Murugan Bhakti is likely to subtly transform
your outlook on life. The Murugan Bhakti home page serves as a meeting
point for scholars and non-scholars, bhaktas and others alike, who have found (or suspect)
that there indeed is more to Skanda-Murugan than meets the eye.