Skanda Shashti is a powerful festival devoted to Lord Muruga, marking the divine moment of Soora Samharam, when he vanquished the demon Soorapadman, restoring balance and peace to the world. The six-day observance of Skanda Shashti celebrates Muruga’s triumph over darkness, symbolizing the spiritual victory over inner obstacles and ignorance. Through fasting, prayer, and rituals, devotees seek his blessings for courage, strength, and spiritual clarity.
In Tamil culture, the traditional order of reverence is often described as Mata, Pita, Guru, Deivam—Mother, Father, Teacher, and then God. This hierarchy speaks to the stages of guidance and nurturing that each soul encounters on its journey. However, in the devotional literature dedicated to Lord Muruga, this order often merges into one divine figure. Great saints, poets, and devotees have equated all four of these guiding roles with Muruga, approaching him in different ways—sometimes as a loving parent, other times as a guiding Guru, and ultimately as the embodiment of divinity itself.
In the songs and hymns of sages like Adi Shankaracharya and Arunagirinathar, Lord Muruga is revealed in his many forms, each with a unique bhava (mood of devotion). As Guha, he is both a Guru dwelling within the heart and the beloved child of Uma and Shiva, making him approachable as a parent, teacher, and God. During Skanda Shashti, the celebration of Muruga’s victory over the demon Soorapadman, devotees connect deeply with his divine essence that supports and shelters them through life's battles, both inner and outer.
Muruga as Guha, the Inner Guru
The Tamil name Guha means “one who dwells in the cave of the heart.” Muruga, in his form as Guha, represents the indwelling Guru, the inner guide who reveals truth and leads us beyond the illusions of the world. Saints like Adi Shankaracharya describe Muruga as the ultimate Guru whose divine presence dissolves the ego, purifies the mind, and grants self-knowledge. In the Subramanya Bhujangam, Shankaracharya prays for Muruga’s grace in helping him turn inward:
गुहे सन्तु लीना ममाशेषभावाः ॥ guhe santu līnā mamāśeṣabhāvāḥ
Meaning:"May all my bhava (thoughts, feelings, and states of mind) be completely absorbed in You, O Guha!"
~ Adi Shankaracharya, Subramanya Bhujangam
This prayer expresses the devotee’s yearning to dissolve into the presence of Muruga within, surrendering all emotions and thoughts at his feet. When the mind is absorbed in the divine presence of Guha, all ignorance and ego are dispelled. In a similar vein, the Tamil saint Arunagirinathar calls upon Muruga in Kandar Anubhuti as both the Guru and the source of grace:
குருவாய் வருவாய், அருள்வாய் குகனே.
guruvāy varuvāy, aruḷvāy guhaṉē.
Meaning:"May You be my Guru and bestow me grace, O Guha!"~ Arunagirinathar, Kandar Anubhuti
In this line, Arunagirinathar asks for Muruga’s guidance and compassion, underscoring Muruga’s dual role as the one who teaches and the one who grants the grace to overcome life’s difficulties. Muruga as Guha is a unique conception, emphasizing that the true Guru is not an external figure but the divine presence within the heart that enlightens from within.
Muruga as the Compassionate Parent
Muruga is also revered as a parent, an embodiment of both motherly compassion and fatherly protection. This relationship is poignantly illustrated in Adi Shankaracharya’s verses, where he humbly presents himself as a child before Muruga and asks for forgiveness:
जनित्री पिता च स्वपुत्रापराधं
सहेते न किं देवसेनाधिनाथ ।
अहं चातिबालो भवान् लोकतातः
क्षमस्वापराधं समस्तं महेश ॥३०॥
janitrī pitā ca svaputrāparādhaṁ
sahete na kiṁ devasenādhinātha |
ahaṁ chātibālo bhavān lokatātaḥ
kṣamasvāparādhaṁ samastaṁ maheśa ||30||
Meaning:"Mother and Father, seeing the faults of their children—do they not tolerate and forgive those, O Chief of the Devas’ army?I am a mere child, and You are the Father of the World,(So, like a father) please forgive all my faults, O Great Lord."
~ Adi Shankaracharya, Subramanya Bhujangam
Through this verse, Shankaracharya reveals the tender, childlike relationship between devotee and Lord. Muruga, as the father of the universe, is called upon to forgive the faults of his devotees, just as a loving parent would patiently forgive and correct their child.
Arunagirinathar echoes this sentiment in Kandar Anubhuti, describing Muruga as both mother and father and praying for the removal of mental suffering:
எம் தாயும் எனக்கு அருள் தந்தையும் நீ
சிந்தாகுலம் ஆனவை தீர்த்து எனையாள்
கந்தா, கதிர் வேலவனே, உமையாள்
மைந்தா, குமரா, மறை நாயகனே.
em tāyum enakku aruḷ tantaiyum nī
cintākulam āṉavai tīrttu enaiyāḷ
kantā, katir vēlavanē, umaiyāḷ
maintā, kumarā, maṟai nāyakanē.
Meaning:"O, Lord Skanda! You have the lustrous weapon of the lance! You are the beloved Divine Son of Umaathevi! O, Lord Kumaraa! You are the Lord of the Vedas! You are my mother and father bestowing me grace! Please accept me as Your devotee by removing all the sufferings of my mind!"
~ Arunagirinathar, Kandar Anubhuti
In these lines, Muruga is not only a source of guidance but a divine parent who nurtures the devotee’s mind and spirit. Arunagirinathar surrenders his inner turmoil to Muruga, trusting in his ability to comfort and protect.
The Divine Presence That Dissolves All Calamities
Ultimately, Muruga is not only Guru and parent but the very essence of divinity itself. In the concluding verse of Subramanya Bhujangam, Adi Shankaracharya beautifully captures Muruga’s role as the ultimate refuge, where even the deepest sorrows of the devotees melt away in his presence, like waves dissolving in the vast ocean:
यथाब्धेस्तरङ्गा लयं यान्ति तुङ्गाः
तथैवापदः सन्निधौ सेवतां मे ।
इतीवोर्मिपंक्तीर्नृणां दर्शयन्तं
सदा भावये हृत्सरोजे गुहं तम् ॥५॥
yathābdhestaraṅgā layaṁ yānti tuṅgāḥ
tathaivāpadaḥ sannidhau sevatāṁ me |
itīvormipaṁktīrnṛṇāṁ darśayantaṁ
sadā bhāvaye hṛtsaroje guhaṁ tam ||5||
Meaning:"Like the huge waves of the sea disappear within the sea,... similarly, the calamities of my devotees will disappear who come to My Presence where I dwell (and completely surrender to me).Thus You seem to proclaim, showing the rows of waves on the sea (to the devotees).May I always meditate on You, O Guha (another name of Subramanya), within the lotus of my heart."
~ Adi Shankaracharya, Subramanya Bhujangam
This imagery of waves dissolving into the sea serves as a metaphor for the dissolution of all troubles in the presence of Muruga. Just as each wave ultimately merges back into the ocean, devotees’ sorrows are dispelled when they surrender at Muruga’s feet. This prayer encapsulates the surrender and devotion that Skanda Shashti embodies—a devotion where Muruga, as the Guru, Parent, and Divine itself, guides devotees towards inner peace and spiritual fulfillment.
Through his various roles as Guru, parent, and divine protector, Muruga provides an all-encompassing refuge for his devotees. Skanda Shashti, with its festivities and prayers, is an opportunity to deepen our connection to him, to seek his grace, and to experience the comfort of his divine love in our hearts.
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