Om Saravanabhavaya Namah!
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!

Namaste!

Skanda Shashti Message (1947)
by Sri Swami Sivananda

Priya Atman,

It gives me immense delight to send this Message on such an auspicious occasion, the Pratishtha Ceremony of Sri Balasubrahmanya and Sakti Vel.

“Even if, Muruga, Thy Name once told,
Your grace descends with Love manifold
Let me Thy Name Muruga, Parama Kumara, once repeat,
And Thy grace to protect shall descend on me.”

So prayed the Saint Arunagiri in his famous soul-elevating Tiruppugazh songs. Mark the Bhava which inspired him to utter these verses. Lord wants only your heart. Give unto Him your heart. Develop immense love to Him. Thirst for His Darshan. You will attain Him.

Lord Subrahmanya is an Avatara of Lord Siva. All incarnations are manifestations of the Lord. The Lord manifests Himself from time to time in various names and forms for establishing Dharma and punishing the wicked. Lord Muruga is the Pratyaksha Devata in this Kali Yuga. His wives, Valli and Deivayanai, represent the Iccha Sakti and Kriya Sakti of the Lord. His Velayudha (Divine Weapon—the Spear) represents Jnana Sakti. His six heads represent the six attributes of Jnana, Vairagya, Bala, Kirti, Sri and Aiswarya. They denote that He is the Virat Purusha, the all-pervading.

Of the eighteen Puranas, the Skanda Purana alone deals with the Avatara and Lilas of Lord Subrahmanya. He is much worshipped in South India. The famous Temples of Lord Subrahmanya in South India, are Tiruchendur, Palani, Thirupparankundram, Swamimalai, Thiruthanigai, Thiruppurur, Udipi, Alagar Koil; and almost all hillocks in South India especially in Tamil Nadu, shine with a temple of Lord Subrahmanya on their tops.

Nakkirar, a famous Tamil poet of the Tamil Sangam Age, was a great votary of Lord Muruga. He composed the poem called Tirumurugatrupadai and whoever repeats the whole of this verse with Bhava and faith will attain peace and prosperity, and success in all his undertakings.

Kumaragurupara Swamigal of Srivaikuntham, was another devotee and Bhakta of Lord Subrahmanya. He had been a dumb child till he was five years old; and, by the grace of the Lord, was gifted with all talents and became later on a famous saint. His songs, Tiruchendur Kali Venba and others are repeated by devotees of Lord Shanmukha with Bhava and faith, even today.

Saint Arunagirinathar is the author of the famous Thiruppugazh songs, Skandar Anubhuti, etc. His songs are in praise of Lord Shanmukha, and are highly inspiring. He had direct Darshan of Lord Subrahmanya. Regular and systematic Parayana of these songs is sufficient for the struggling souls to get solace, peace and prosperity.

Follow the footsteps of these saints. Lead a life of simplicity. Have purity. Develop magnanimity. Cultivate nobility. Practise serenity. Draw inspiration from these Bhaktas. Entertain sublime thoughts, cultivate virtues and be kind to all. Become humble. Take refuge in God. Sing God’s Names. See His indwelling presence in all. Serve everyone with intense Love. Service is worship. Serve. Love. Give. Taste the Nectar of Immortality and enjoy the highest Peace and Bliss.

Practice of the Presence of God always is the easiest, nearest and surest way for attaining God-realisation. Everyday is a fresh opportunity given to you by God to go nearer to Him. Shed the precious tears of Divine Prema when you are alone and don’t make a mere show.

May the blessings of Arunagirinathar and other Bhaktas of Shanmukha be upon you all! May the Divine Hand guide you in all your activities! May the Vel guide you to the realm of Peace, Plenty, Prosperity and Enlightenment!

Read on the web

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October 25th marks the holy celebration of Skanda Shashthi. There are a couple of articles on our websites with regards to the significance of this festival. They are

1. Skanda Sashti by Sri Swami Sivananda
2. Lord Skanda – The Concentrated Divine Energy by Sri Swami Krishnananda

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Lord Shanmukha and His Worship
By Swami Sivananda

The Advent of Lord Skanda or Karttikeya, the purpose of His incarnation as an Avatara and its significance should be of great importance and of immense value to seekers after Truth. Lord Skanda, also known as Shanmukha, is adored and worshipped with intense faith and devotion throughout South India and Sri Lanka. And naturally it will be of great interest to all His devotees, in particular, to know more about Him, the significance of His birth and His life and career as a victorious General.

Sri Swami Sivanandaji, the author of this book, graphically describes the above-mentioned subjects in his usual style,—inspiring and direct, instructive and illuminating, soul-elevating and at once impressive. It is needless to introduce him to the readers, who is so very well-known as a versatile genius in all the spiritual subjects and as an author of many an immortal and monumental work that breathes the spirit of ancient wisdom and of direct and intuitive realisation of the Supreme.

We consider the book as a masterpiece production and that it ranks with the other prominent works of Sri Swami Sivanandaji.

For more information, please see: Lord Shanmukha and His Worship

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FRENCH LEAVE! Once a French Sadhu staying in the Ashram suddenly vanished, nobody knew where to. When he reappeared after some time, the Master greeted him and made kind enquiries.

“Om Namo Narayanaya! When did you come? Are you all right?”

The Frenchman replied, “I am very sorry, Swamiji, that I left without telling you. I apologise for this misconduct. I went to Badrinath and am just returning.”

“Oh! It is all right.” said the Master. “This is called French leave here! As you are yourself a Frenchman, you are quite entitled to take this leave!”

The Frenchman was almost nonplussed to see that not only was his shortcoming ignored but the Master treated it so light-heartedly!

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"We have in this great epic of Skanda's incarnation, the 'Kumara Sambhava', the mighty portrayal of the adventure of the Spirit through the processes of Sadhana, spiritual practice, wherein we commune ourselves with the highest power that is conceivable, the energy of God Himself. We have to draw that energy forward and harness it to face this world. Then the power of externality gets transformed into the peace of universality. What happened to the Rakshasas – Surapadma, Simhamukha and Taraka? Those forces which were externalised and which were the desires impelling themselves outwardly in the direction of sense-objects, were transformed into the universal peace of creation." – Swami Krishnananda

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