THE STORIES OF LORD KATHIKEYA III Kumara and His Vel: The Young God and His Divine

e Spear The Significance of Thaipusam

Kumara, the young lord grew from toddler to youth under the watchful eyes and guidance of his parents Lord Shiva the divine destroyer, and goddess Parvati the divine mother and power (Shakthi) at Kailash their hilltop abode in the Himalayas. Even though he was still young the divine couple realised that the time was nearing when Arumugha (the six-headed one) had to assume the role he was created for: the destruction of asuras demons, specifically Tarakasura. Tarakasura had tried to trick the then widowed god Shiva into granting him near-immortality by gaining from him the boon death by the hands of Shiva or the seed (read: son) of Shiva this at a time when Shiva had lost his consort Dakshayani. The goddess committed suicide by leaping into the holy fire of the Yagnya (puja/offering/penance/celebration) that her father Dakshin was conducting. gaining the name Sati because her father had insulted Lord Shiva, his son-in-law the destroyer by not inviting him to the Yagnya to which he had invited all other gods and demi-gods as a show of his power. Dakshin was the son of Lord Brahma the Divine Creator and a great devotee of his grandfather Lord Vishnu the Divine protector. He was very proud and vain of his powers and influence and looked down on the ascetic Lord Shiva who was happy wearing just ash from the funeral pyre, as he liked to hang out in cemeteries along with his followers the Ganas souls and ghosts - and didnt even untangle his long locks. Thus Lord Shiva not only lost his wife without the interference of the Devas/demi-gods in the argument, they were present and sanctioned and sanctified the ceremony where the divine destroyer was insulted. So the devas were in Lord Shivas bad books and he was mourning the loss of his beloved consort Sati when Tarasura begged the boon of death at his hands or by his seed! To the demon a near impossibility and since he was torturing the devas who had by default also insulted and angered the destroyer the Demon King Tarak (Tarakasura) was sure Shiva wouldnt personally kill him and because of his grief at loosing Sati wouldnt have a child anytime soon. In this he was mistaken as seen by the birth of Lord Karthikeya. Now back to the story of how the Lord of War received his divine weapon. On the day of the Pusam star in the Tamil month of Thai the divine mother the all-powerful one Shakti presented her beloved foster-son with the manifestation of her power (Shakti). This took the

form of a weapon as the purpose of the power was to bequeath on the youth the power to defeat in battle the asuras/demons. The weapon manifested itself as the divine spear the Vel. The Vel is praised as the Vetri Vel and Veera Vel: The Spear of Victory (Vetri) and Courage (Veera). And this chant was used as a battle cry against the demons. But that is a story for another time...because the lord of war had yet to gain his army, vehicle and symbol and his enemys grace (Tarakasurs punya) was yet to run out! Thus it was that the day the young Parvatipriyanandana received the Vel a symbol of his power and the blessings of his all-powerful mother, the very manifestation of all the power and energy of the Universe, Goddess Shakti was forever celebrated across all the worlds as the Festival of Thaipusam. For with the gift of the divine spear that never missed its mark and always returned to its master the Lord of War Muruga the young god had taken a vital step in the destruction of the demon lords the very personification of evil where Lord Guha is the personification of all that is good. Thus setting in motion the victory of good over evil! The festival of Thaipusam is held in all temples and places where Lord Muruga is worshipped not just in India the birthplace of Hinduism but everywhere Hindus and Indians are settled across the globe. The image in this document is of the enormous statue of Muruga and his Vel that is found at the entrance to the Batu Caves in Malaysia where worship of the Lord of War is very popular. Malaysians rigorously and piously celebrate Thaipusam irrespective of race and religion! For the victory of good over evil transcends religion and the tool of such an important victory is to be hailed and worshipped without discrimination. A Hindu exponent, holy man, and guru (teacher) described the powerful Vel as follows: The lancelike vel wielded by Lord Karttikeya, or Skanda, embodies discrimination and spiritual insight. Its blade is wide, long and keen, just as our knowledge must be broad, deep and penetrating. The shakti power of the vel, the eminent, intricate power of righteousness over wrongdoing, conquers confusion within the realms below. The holy VEL is our release from ignorance into knowledge, our release from vanity into modesty, our release from sinfulness into purity through tapas. When we perform penance and beseech His blessing, this merciful God (Muruga) hurls His VEL into the astral plane, piercing discordant sounds, colours and shapes, removing the mind's darkness. He is the King of kings, the power in their sceptres. ...His vel empowering the ruler, justice prevails, wisdom enriches the minds of citizens, rain is abundant, crops flourish and plenty fills the larders.

April 3, 2014, Thursday