Miscellaneous - Religion   

Negating influences

Chennai: Those who believe in astrology, sometimes take fright when inauspicious predictions about their future are made. They begin to wonder how they will face the onslaught of planets that do not look favourably upon them. They forget that the best way to overcome fear and difficulty is to worship God, to meditate upon Him.

When the sun shines brightly, can any other light match it in brilliance? In the same way can a planet have the power of God? With God on our side, do we need to fear planetary influences? For those who fear that one or the other of the navagrahas, could harm them, the Kolaru Padhigam of Gnanasambandar is reassuring, said R. Narayanan.

The story goes that Sambandar made the locked door of the temple at Vedaranyam open with just one verse. When Kulachirai Nayanar, the minister of Koon Pandian, the Pandia King, heard of this, he requested Sambandar to come to Madurai, to convert the King to Saivism. Tirunavukkarasar protested that the planets were not in an auspicious formation. The aim of Tirunavukkarasar must have been to prompt Sambandar to sing of the greatness of Lord Shiva vis-a-vis the planets. And that is when Sambandar sang the Kolaru Padhigam.

It is easy to recite, and the theme that runs through the verses is that the devotees of Lord Shiva will not be harmed by the planets. For those who are unable to recite all of it, recitation of the first verse at least would be enough. The verse says that if Uma Devi’s consort, Lord Shiva, who plays the veena, and wears the faultless Moon and the Ganga on His head, resides in a person’s heart, the planets cannot harm that person. A similar sentiment is expressed in Arunagirinathar’s Kandar Alankaram, except that the deity invoked here is Lord Muruga. In the 38th verse, the poet asks what harm the planets can do to him. The answer is that they can do nothing, for in his heart resides Lord Muruga, the one who wears different kinds of ornaments on his feet, who has six heads and 12 arms.

It is interesting to note that Arunagirinathar mentions the two feet, six ornaments, six faces, a flower garland, and 12 arms, all adding up to 27, the total number of planets.

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