Skanda Shashti - Day 1

Lord Muruga with Sri Valli and Sri Devasena
Skanda Shashti Alankaram at my local temple, 15-11-2020

Consistency is not my forte. Yes, I know consistency is everything. 

But some things have found me and stuck with me, by divine grace. One such is the Skanda Shashti Vratam.

It is a six day fast to commemorate the fight of Lord Muruga with the Asura Surapadman, culminating in the Soorasamharam on the sixth night. The seventh day is the Divine Tirukkalyanam of Muruga with Sri Valli and Devasena. 

Soorasamharam is a sight to behold.  

While I have always loved Muruga by default - my mother being an intense bhakta and my having read the Skanda Purana at around 9 years old - I have never been one for fasting. But when I had trouble conceiving, someone suggested the Shashti Vratam. 

"Sattiyil irunthaal, agappaiyil varum" goes the saying. If you fast on Shashti, the womb begets.

So in 2009, my husband - himself an ardent fan - and I started the fast. We went to the Vadapalani Soorasamharam and then came home and broke the fast. The next day I went to the Tirukkalyanam. I was so touched to see my grandaunt who lives in the vicinity - with a seer thattu for the kalyanam, complete paruppu thengai and so on, as if her own children were getting married. So many others had brought similar plates laden with fruits and paruppu thengai and flowers. 

When my daughter was born, we continued the tradition. Every year, we fast and then go see the Soorasamharam. 

You can choose how you want to fast. Ours is pretty flexible - I have some buttermilk or tea and maybe some fruits during the day. In the evening, after maybe a visit to the local temple to see Murugan, I make aval upma/ poha with beaten rice and a dash of lemon. Somehow that's become our standard fasting food. 

For someone who can never skip a meal, this period is magical. I feel light, happy and I always am amazed at how little one actually needs in life. My digestive system quickly adjusts to the new normal and doesn't require much. 

We also chant the Skanda Shashti Kavacham everyday, and try to reach a certain count. 

This year, I have started reading the Kumāra Tantram - an upāgama of the Lalitāgama, one of the twenty eight Śaivāgama. Hope to share more over the next few days. 

Om Saravanabhavaya Namaha.