Speech of HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji on Subrahmanya Shashti – SDVT Mysore – December 18, 2012
Sachidananda murugankke Harom Hara!
Today is the sacred festival of Subramanya Shashti. Our Sadguru walked with us during Kavadi seva there by letting us know its importance, this is our luck. We walked along and carried these ingredients for abhisheka. Swami loves abhisheka. He would let us perform it for hours, even days together. Because He is Ganga’s son. He is called “Gangeya”. He got abhishekam performed by us today. May Sadguru bless you all who performed kavadi seva.
In some areas, it is also called “Subraya shashti”. Subraya is a short for subramanya, people call Him that with love. It means Shubha-Raya: the king of good. Shashti means six, indicates the one who conquered all five indriyas and mind and takes us along with him, the paramatma. Today we celebrated this auspicious day in the world’s one and only emerald Marakata Subramanya swami Devasthanam. A great poet wrote about marakata peacock, but never talked of a marakata subramanya. Swamiji gave us a Marakata Subramanya so we would pray to Him and be showered with blessings. Not only that, He walked along with us during kavadi seva. “kavadi” means “Kagu-adi” – in Tamil, Kagu means worry of the mind, body and in other ways. Kavadi seva removes all such worries that seep into your mind unknowlingly. Kavadi seva also indicates giving our ego and attachments away to the Lord.
We perform abhishekam to Him with the same ingredients we bring in kavadi. Swami likes Abhishekam as much as Shiva does. That’s why we took time to perform a detailed abhishekam to Him today. Swamiji Himself started the abhishekam, we witnessed it entirely. We perfomed abhishekam with mrithikas. Whatever shampoo or soap you use throughout the year, it is said that atleast once in a year you should wash your hair with mrithika. It is not said so because God has a special liking for it – God treats everything equally. It is recommended so we stay healthy. This is also available as prasadam, please collect it as you leave. Use it when you take a bath, it gives good health and removes skin diseases.
May you all be blessed with His grace! Those who pray to Subramanya get the result of praying to all the Gods. He is the last Diety to be born. After that, there are incarnations, but no new devetas were born after Him. That’s why, He contains all the Gods in Him.
May you all be blessed with happiness.