Kandha sashti and vanquishing maya

Kandha sashti, a six day festival, starts on amavasai in Aippasi, and on day two, the flag hoisting ceremony is conducted in all Murugan temples. Puranas tell us that Kandha sashti narrates the history of Soorapadman. An asura by birth, he undertook severe penance. 

Brahma granted Soorapadman the boon he sought — which was that only an aspect of SivaSakti could vanquish him. Assuming that such a force would never be formed, Soorapadman is said to have become tyrannical. Unable to bear his atrocities, the devas approached Siva, who promised to help them and end the tyranny. 

Although Siva’s face is always serene, He possesses a fiery, third eye on His face, the power of which is such that when it opens, it can burn all that it espies into cinders. He created six jwalas from His third eye, and Vayu bhagawan carried the burning forces with him and left them at the Saravana Poigai (Ganges) in the Himalayas. 

Six Karthigai women, who resided there, turned the jwalas into six babies and raised them as their own. Parvati, Siva’s Consort, arrived there one day, and held all the six boys together. All six got fused into one body and thus was born Arumugan, the six faced Murugan. Parvati gifted Him a spear, said to be crafted in Sikkal, near Nagapattinam. 

As Soorapadman resided in Tiruchendur, Murugan arrived there and a fierce battle raged. After his siblings fell in the field, Soorapadman appeared on the battlefield on the shores of Tiruchendur. 

Murugan vanquished the asura. This battle is enacted over six days at Tiruchendur and lakhs of devotees arrive to watch the slaying of Soorpapadman, as it is considered to be a spiritually uplifting experience. Even the sea ingresses during this narration. 

The concept behind re-enactment of such puranas is the fact that we too are at the mercy of our inner demons. Envy, ego, hatred, our petty acts, desire and maya are the dominant forces that we need to battle and overcome. We are all slaves to maya, and it is important to pray to Murugan in order to beat back these demons with His blessings. 

During the six days, many devotees make it a point to recite Kandha sashti kavacham, written by Bala Devanayagam Swamigal. A native of Kongu nadu, he suffered from a severe stomach ailment and could find no cure. He then decided to watch the Kanda sashti celebrations in Tiruchendur, and planned to jump into the sea afterwards, and commit suicide. 

Accordingly, he arrived in Tiruchendur, and composed Kandha sashti kavacham over six days. Simultaneously, he watched the Soorapadman saga enacted on the sandy beaches; he was miraculously cured of his ailment. No wonder many consider Kandha sashti kavacham as the ultimate bullet proof vest, of not merely the mortal body, but of the soul itself. 

A visit to Tiruchendur is also advocated for devotees, since of all the six abodes of Murugan, this is the only one which is at sea level. Pundits say that Murugan uplifts those devotees who pray to Him at  Tiruchendur, to a spiritually higher plane.