Destruction of Tripura

There goes an interesting legend associated with Thai Pusam. Lord Siva is said to have burnt Tripura with his laughter on this day. Once upon a time, three brothers named Tarakakshan, Vidyunmali and Kamalakshan undertook penance praying Lord Brahma in search of immortality. Lord Brahma who was overwhelmed by heir devotion, decided to reward them. He reportedly denied them the boon of complete immortality since total immortality is the unique trait of Lord Shiva which no one else could possess. Hence the brothers requested Brahma to grant them with three invincible forts made of gold, silver and iron, having the capability to rest on soil, air and in the middle. Lord Brahma is also believed to have granted them three forts that could only be destroyed by Lord Shiva when Tripuras fall in the same line for a short time on the full moon day of the Tamil month Thai.  Lord Brahma also blessed the brothers with immense prosperity, valor and health. Mayan who is considered the celestial architect is said to have designed the forts for them. He also advised the brothers to stand in the righteous path at all times. He supposedly blessed each of them with a sivalinga, for their daily worship of the supreme Lord Siva, who is the destructor of all evils in this world.

Accordingly, the demon brothers undertook to worship Lord Shiva as per the rules stated in the divine scriptures. As time passed, the three brothers had turned wicked, creating havoc across the world with their flying palaces. They were also tormenting the Devas and enslaved them. The arrogant brothers got down the earth whenever and wherever they wished, ignoring the destruction caused to life and property that came underneath their mighty palaces.

Lord Brahma, Vishnu and the Devas were very worried about this destructive and irresponsible act of the demon brothers and thus decided to conduct a yagna on the revered Mount Meru in order to put an end to this evil. All the divine genies that rose from the altar failed to kill the demons and ended up perishing. The brothers in turn intensified their torture to avenge the celestial Gods. The frightened Devas ran to save themselves from the clutches of these demon brothers. Lord Vishnu and Brahma then realized that the demons stand invincible, as a result of their worship towards Lord Shiva. Then they conceived a plan to stop their Siva puja. Lord Vishnu incarnated in this world as Buddha and Brahma as his disciple. They persuaded the demons in unorthodox ways to divert them from the worship of Lord Siva. They further boosted their bloated ego. They even succeeded in removing their vibhuthi (sacred ash) and rudraksha which served as their shield to immortality.

Despite all these efforts from the gods, the demon brothers still continued their sincere worship towards Lord Shiva. Astounded by their utmost devotion, Lord Vishnu and the Devas went to Manasrovar Lake and started chanting the Rudra mantrs standing in neck deep water. Later, Lord Siva is said to have appeared before them and asked them to apply the sacred ash got from performing the holy Viraja Homam, on their foreheads.  He also advised them to observe the sacred Pasupata fast, in order to Bring an end to their sufferings. The moment he uttered these words, Lord Muruga is said to have danced joyously on his fathers lap in joy. Lord Siva is believed to have provided the devas with divine chariots and mighty weapons through Nandi Deva and thus the Devas got ready for the fight the wicked demon brothers.

The Marvellous Chariot

Vinayagar

The devas are believed to have built a mighty chariot with Mount Meru as the bow and the holy snake Adiseshan as it’s the string. Lord Maha Vishnu, Vayu and Agni took the form of its head, shaft and tail of the arrow respectively. Mount Vindhya became the axle of the wheel and Mount Kesari the cap of the axle. The earth was made the chariot’s seat, sky its interior, the sun and the moon contributing as the chariot’s wheels.  The great serpents, the holy eight mountains, the seas and clouds – the ceiling of the chariot, the 64 sastras, the celestial cow Kamadhenu, Karmas, Thithis, Dharmas, eons, years, months, days and seasons, etc contributed towards building of this mighty chariot. The four revered Vedas were regarded the driving horses and Brahma himself was the charioteer. He carried the sacred pranavam as the whip. All the Devas along with their leaders formed a mighty army to fight the Demons. Great sages and saints sang hymns in favor of this army and showered their blessing upon them.

Ganesha

Lord Ganesha’s Ire

As Nandi Deva describes these details to Lord Siva, he begins mounting the chariot holding bow and arrow in his hands. The moment he boarded the chariot, a wheel axle gave way and the chariot started snaking to the ground. At that moment, Lord Vishnu took the form of a bull and bore the weight of the chariot to prevent further sinking.

The reason behind this unsuccessful start is attributed towards not honoring Lord Ganesha at the start of the war. And thus the god’s army had to face this initial hurdle. Realizing his mistake, Lord Shiva propitiated Lord Ganesha and then set out for war. Saint Arunagirinathar describes this incident vividly in his revered work Thiruppugazh, titled Kaithala Niraikani which is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. He says, ”You are the valiant warrior who broke the axle of the chariot of Lord Siva!” Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga are believed to have accompanied the divine chariot from either sides.

The laughter of Siva

The demons are believed to have lost their prosperity on compromising on their virtues. The demons came down the earth to fight the war, along with their magnificent forts. Lord Shiva along with the mighty bow and arrow in his hands, is believed to have looked at the demon brothers using his three eyes and laughed. His laughter was powerful enough to burn down the three mighty forts into ashes within minutes.

Lord Siva spared the Asura clan from punishing and took them as his attendants (Siva Ganangal). He also rewarded them for their past devotion. Realizing their grave mistake, the three brothers unconditionally surrendered before Lord Shiva. The ever compassionate Lord Shiva forgave their mistakes and kept them close to him, as his gate keepers. Legends associate the destruction of these mighty Tripura to this sacred Thai Pusam day.

Tripura Samharam

Saint Arunagirinathar has vividly elaborated various events such as the destruction of Tripuram, conversion of Mount Meru into bows, and Lord Shiva’s redemptive grace on the three demons, in a number of hymns composed by him.

The Tripura symbolises the materialistic components of this world namely bondage, ego, deeds, its effects and illusion. Worshipping Lord Muruga on this day is believed to relieve a person from these worldly impurities.