Book Review by Mr. V S Krishnan.
Book Title: Sri Muruga - Legend, Short Stories and Worship
Author: Rahul Kabade
ISBN: 9780957379404, Paperback, 194 Pages.
Publisher: Sri Muruga Publications, www.srimuruga.com, London, UK.

Coimbatore, December 7, 2012: Among the many Tamil works of modern time which portrayed the splendor and glory of Muruga, the book titled “Sri Muruga, Legend, Short Stories and Worship” is worth mentioning because it comes from Rahul Kabade, a Marathi. Perhaps this is the first work done in recent times by a non-Tamilian on the Tamil God, Muruga and done remarkably well. By this book, Kabade has proved that there can be no barrier, language or regional, in the way of a true devotee in reaching and realizing God.

Muruga, the Lord widely worshipped, adored and admired has been described by many scholars and pundits earlier. Right from Kalidasa and Kachiappa Sivachariar from ancient times to Krupananda Variyar in recent times, many saints have described the beauty of Muruga, his power, his valour, his knowledge and his and various other qualities. Sri Rahul Kabade has dealt with almost all aspects of Muruga, the significance behind the different names of Muruga, the six sacred abodes of the Lord, the various temples located in different parts of southern India and Sri Lanka and the different saints and singers who lauded the glory of the Lord. As he takes us to different temples of Muruga and explains the importance of each temple, we experience a feeling of actually visiting these temples. There are illuminating stories on Adi Sankara who wrote Subramanya Bhujangam, on Kachiappa Sivachariar, the first author who wrote a comprehensive and complete history on Muruga (Kanda Purana), Arunagirinathar the author of “Thiruppugazh” (Glory to Lord Muruga) and many others.

Kabade has cited certain instances of miracles which happened in the life of Muruga devotees which were hitherto unknown. In fact, we can find the history of almost all devotees who hailed the glory of Muruga right from the ancient time to the present day. There is also an excellent chapter devoted to Siddhas, the sages who have attained spiritual perfection by means of Yoga and meditation.

It is clear that Kabade has done extensive research on the origin and history of Muruga and the extent of love and devotion people have in Murugan. It seems to me that he has been graced and blessed by Muruga, as otherwise he could not have brought out such an excellent, beautiful and comprehensive work on the Lord.

Every aspect of Muruga, the reason for his Avatar, the importance of his abodes, his role as a Gurunatha, his marriage with Valli, his various benign qualities, his weapon Vel, his transport peacock, his ensign, rooster all call for detailed explanation and interpretation and Kabade has given a good bird’s eye view of these aspects. Sri Kabade has made a sincere attempt and succeeded to a great extent in portraying a true profile of Muruga.

V.S. Krishnan is an Author and his most renowned work is the book “Thiruppugazh: Glory to Lord Muruga”. He can be reached by email at [email protected]

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Media Contact Details:
Contact: Mr. Rahul Kabade
http://www.srimuruga.com
Phone 0044-(0)7748105281
[email protected]
Wembley, London
United Kingdom