Vaikasi Visakam is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Lord Murugan, who is regarded as the warrior god. Lord Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is worshipped as Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu and other southern states.
Lord Murugan is also considered to be the chief deity of the ancient Tamils Other names for him include Swaminatha, Dandayudhapani, Saravana and Kumaran
When is Vaikasi Visakam Celebrated?
Vaikasi Visakam is celebrated when the Vishakha Nakshatra coincides with the full moon or Purnima Tithi in the Tamil month of Vaikasi. As per the Tamil calendar, Vaikashi is the second month of the year, which corresponds to May-June on the Gregorian calendar.
Significance of Vaikasi Visakam
According to traditions, Lord Murugan was created from a raging flame that even the gods and goddesses could not withstand inside of Lord Shiva’s third eye.
Six sparks emerged from the enormous flame in the shape of fairies and fell to the Ganga river. The six of them were referred to as Krittikas collectively. Matha Parvati combined the six entities, giving birth to Lord Kartikeya or Murugan with six faces and twelve arms.
Lord Murugan’s six faces represent his six tatpurushas, aghorams, sadyojatams, vamadevans, eesanams, and adhomukams.
Lord Murugan has the ability to look simultaneously in all directions, including swarga (heaven), patala (hell), east, west, north, and south.
He is also revered as the leader of the gods’ army or the God the warrior. Tarakasur, a demon who had the blessing that only Shiva’s son could defeat him, was killed by him.In addition to Tarakasur, Lord Murugan, also known as Kartikeya, also vanquished the demons Soorapadman and Simhamukha.
Therefore, Vaikasi Visakam is a day that commemorates the triumph of good over evil. On this day, devotees organise processions and bring milk to Lord Subramanya temples to perform milk “abhishekam,” which involves showering the god with water or other holy prayer items.
In addition, the devotees perform havans (fire rituals) at the temples and carry the kavadi (offerings to Lord Murugan) there. Also, a grand arti (ritual) of Lord Murugan is performed on this day.
HAPPY VAIKASI VISAKAM!
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