Just as every house has a cooking stove, so must every house have a copy of the Tiruppugazh, a work in praise of Lord Subrahmanya, said Mathivannan. The Tiruppugazh is like a raksha, which will protect us from harm. If a mere possession of the book confers protection on us, how much more will be the benefits of reciting the work? Where the Tiruppugazh is recited, Rudrra, the devas, siddhas, yogis, the chiefs of the eight directions, and sages blemishless will be present.
In this birth, we have had the good fortune to be born as humans. It is a boon to be born as a human being, for then we can worship Lord Subrahmanya, and attain salvation. It was God who gave us this birth, and we must use this birth to worship Him. Saint Arunagirinatha, devotee of Lord Subrahmanya, says we should be firm in our convictions, serve others willingly, be generous and worship Lord Subahmanya. For such people, a place in the Heaven is assured.
There used to be a cook in a palace. His name was Ardhanari. He visited Ramana Maharishi and asked him to give him spiritual advice. Ramana said Ardhanari would find a person at the foot of the Tiruvannamalai hill waiting for him. Ardhanarai went there, and waiting for him was Seshadri Swami. Upon seeing Ardhanari, Seshadri Swami said: “I have been waiting for you. I want to give you spiritual advice. Recite the Tiruppugazh. It is a great mantra.”
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Ardhanari was not an educated man; he had been a cook all his life. His mother tongue was Kannada, and he knew no Tamil. The Tiruppugazh is difficult to read even for native speakers of Tamil. How could Ardhanari read the Tiruppugazh, leave alone recite it? But the moment Seshadri Swami asked Ardhanari to recite the Tiruppugazh, Ardhanari immediately began to recite it, without a stutter or pause. It was only through Lord Subrahmanya’s grace that he was able to do so. We must be steadfast in our belief in the Lord. We might have noticed how calendars hung from nails on the wall flutter in the breeze. But the nails from which they are hung remain steadfast and unmoving. We should not be like the calendar, but like the nail, in our belief in Lord Subrahmanya.