Thai Poosham

Feb 3 2015… Thai Poosham… A festival of Lord Murugan, celebrated with much joy by Tamil

people all over… India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa… the world over..

Morning started, as most mornings do, with whatsapp greetings… This day it was pictures of Lord

Muruga… And a verse from Tiruppugazh… The timeless treatise of the great sage of Arunachala –

Tiru Arunagirinathar…. This verse is a well known one, where Arunagirinathar prays to Lord

Muruga to come in the form a Guru and bless him…

உருவாய் அருவாய் உளதாய் இலதாய்

மருவாய் மலராய் மணியாய் ஒளியாய்

கருவாய் உயிராய் கதியாய் குருவாய்

வருவாய் அருவாய் குகனே

uruvAi aruvAi uLathAi ilathAi

maruvAi malarAi maNiyAi oLiyAi

karuvAi uyirAi gadhiyAi vidhiyAi

guruvAi varuvAi aruLvAi guhanE

As formless, as with form,

As That which is, As That which is not,

As Fragrance, as Flowers,

As Chime of bells, as Light,

As Embryo, as Life,

As Divine Destiny, as Fruits of Karma

As Guru,

Please come and bless me,

O one in the cave (of the heart)!

Lovely verse, with beautiful sounds…. These then formed as a picture in one’s mind… A picture of

Lord Muruga of Pazhani, clad in a loin cloth… And his manifestation as a Guru, in the form of the

sage of Arunachala, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi…