October 29, 2011

VIKATA CHAKKARAN

Courtesy of SriSiddhiVinayakar Temple Sungai Petani
Murugan has a whole range of literauary works dedicated in His name. ThiruMurugaRRuppadai, Kandhapuranam, Thiruppugalz, Paripaadal, Kandhar anubhuthi, Kandhar alankaaram, Kandha Sashti Kavacam, KumaraSambhavam, etc.
The important purnas in his name are many. Kandha Puranam, Skantha Puranam, Thanikai puranam, etc.
Skandha Puranam is the largest among the puranams. It is reputed to consist of one hundred thousand slokas or verses.
Kandha Puranam is in Tamil.
There was a priest called Kachchiyappa Sivaachaariyaar who was a native of Kanchipuram. He performed pujai worship to Murugan in the temple Kandha KOttam in Kanchi.
He was a great Tamil scholar.
One day he had a dream wherein he was told by Murugan to compose a poem in His name.
He asked how he was to begin.
The beginning verse was to be dedicated to Vinayakar who was known as 'VikataChakra'.
He was told to start with the words 'thikadasakkara'.
He did so.
And with divine inspiration, he completed the composition of the purana.
Such works had to be made as a presentation in group of scholars and a patron.
It was done in an assembly of scholars in Kanchipuram.
As soon as he started reciting the first word, a scholar stopped him and asked him what was the meaning of 'thikatasakkara'. Because no such word existed in the Tamil language.
Kachchiyappa was flabbergaste. Because in fact, he had not heard such a word.
So he excused himself and said he would come back on a later date and tell the meaning. But the word had been obtained directly from Ganesa. How could it be possibly wrong?
Then he went back and asked Murugan. How was it that the very first word that was given was not a word that was in use and for which nobody knew the meaning.
Murugan told Kachchiayappa to tell the other scholars that a specially invited scholar from Cholza country would come on a specific day and give an explanation.
On the specified day, the assembly met.
Then precisely at the time mentioned a young scholar appeared.
He said the he was from Cholza country. He explained that the word 'thikatasakkara' was actually a combination of three components.
'thikalz' + 'dhasa' + 'kara'.
According to the puNarchchi vidhi - the grammatical rule of combination of words and letters, the components would combine as 'thikatasakara'.
The combination grammatical rule says that lz+sa would combine to give the letter 'da'.
As was very obvious, it would mean a 'display of ten arms'.
Heramba Ganapathy has ten arms.
This is one of the sixteen different forms of Ganapathy; these forms go by the name ‘Murthi Bedham’.
The rule for this particular instance was explained in the grammatical work called 'ViiraCholziyam'. This work was prevalent in Cholza country while it is little known in ThoNdai country where Kanchi was situated.
The assembly was satisfied and accepted the explanation.
After that the scholar from Cholza country disappered into the sanctum sanctorum of Kandha kOttam.
It was none other than Murugan who had dispelled the doubts of the scholars.

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