The sacred significance of Thaipusam and the kavadi

More than 1.5 million Hindus are expected to congregate at temples dedicated to Muruga Perumaan (Lord Muruga) in Malaysia on 25 January to the shouts of “Vel! Vel!” as they celebrate Thaipusam.

And tens of thousands of devotees will carry the “kavadi” or “paal kudam" (pot filled with cow’s milk) to fulfil vows.

Among them will be A. Sree Vijayanayagam who will walk up 513 steps to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple, better known as the Waterfall Hilltop Temple, in Penang. He will be carrying the paal kudam with a skewer through his tongue.

This will be the 51st year that Vijayanayagam, a human resources consultant to several top companies, will be saying thanks to Lord Muruga, one of the many ways in which Hindus see God or the Supreme Reality.

And strangely, this year too, Vijayanayagam saw a cobra while observing discipline to fulfil his vow.

The chairman of the Sree Selva Vinayagar Temple in Prai, mainland Penang, was taking his German Shepard for a walk on the morning of 20 January when a cobra appeared in the field in front of them, sending his dog into a frenzy.

Within minutes, however, the snake slithered away.

Cobra symbolism

“I can’t explain this but every year, just before Thaipusam day, I will see a cobra,” he says.

His first encounter with a cobra happened in 1973, when he was preparing to carry the kavadi for the first time, at the Ipoh Sri Subramaniar Temple.

Since then, the unexplainable phenomena has occurred every year without fail. Vijayanayagam does not know what to make of it, except that the cobra is associated with Lord Muruga.

The cobra, which appears in every depiction of the image of Lord Muruga, represents the coiled up sacred energy at the bottom of the spine known as “kundalini shakti” which has to be raised up by yogic practices to the head to attain “mukti” or enlightenment – the goal of every Hindu.

Although Vijayanayagam has been carrying the kavadi for half a century, he did not make the actual vow. It was his sister who took a vow that Vijayanayagam would carry the kavadi for three years if he recovered from bronchial asthma which had led to pneumonia.

Cured after taking vow

He was warded at the Ipoh General Hospital when the Higher School Certificate examination began in 1972. A friend ferried him from the hospital to the Anderson Secondary School nearby to sit for two papers on different days.

By then, his sister had made the vow. “I can only describe it as a miracle. I was discharged from hospital and completed my other papers without any problem,” he says, adding: “But after carrying the kavadi for three years, I felt an intense desire to continue it.”

Initially, he carried the decorated kavadi but in 1983 he switched to carrying the “paal kudam”, but still with his tongue pierced with a skewer in the shape of the spear-like weapon of Muruga, the “Vel”.

“Since the time I carried the kavadi in 1973 till now, I have had no asthma or breathing problem,” Vijayanayagam says.

A similar story – of a vow and a cure or a vow and success in some endeavour or a vow and begetting a child - is narrated by thousands of devotees who carry the kavadi every year for Thaipusam.

Thaipusam – a riotous festival of colour and sound - is observed on the day of the “Pusam” star in the Tamil month of “Thai” (straddling January and February) by Hindus in Malaysia, Singapore, India, Mauritius and even in Europe and the United States.

What is the story of Thaipusam and the significance?

It signifies the day Lord Muruga received the Vel from the Mother Goddess. Puranic tales describe how, by wielding the Vel, Muruga vanquished the asuras, or demonic forces, and liberated those who had been imprisoned by them.

Behind the story is an important truth, for, in Hindu symbolism, the Vel represents knowledge, wisdom and willpower. This knowledge, this wisdom must be sharp, broad and deep, as indicated by the shape of the Vel.

It tells the devotee that he must use knowledge, wisdom and willpower to liberate himself from the shackles – such as unproductive habits, anger, sloth and ignorance - holding him back from a progressive and fruitful life, and, as a final step, strive to attain mukti.

This attainment of mukti or Self-Realisation is again emphasised in the other reason Thaipusam is observed: It signifies the occasion when Shiva Perumaan opened the “wisdom eye” of a group of sages by dancing the “aanantha nadanam” (dance of bliss).

Meaning of Muruga

In Hinduism, Muruga and Shiva are but representations, or different aspects, of Brahman (the Absolute Reality or Supreme Consciousness or, in layman’s terms, God).

All life evolves, but unlike other life forms, man can accelerate or slow down his development. Hindu sages say man has a choice: to remain stagnant as he is, lower himself to become nothing more than a brutish animal, or rise up like a divine person.

To the Hindu, Lord Muruga personifies the highest state to which evolution leads - God-realisation or enlightenment.

"Muruga" means "Beautiful One", so the devotee is reminded to be beautiful in thought, word and deed as he moves towards the goal of life. He is to transform himself into a beautiful person and add beauty to the world.

A major prerequisite for experiencing God-consciousness is discipline, and the act of kavadi-bearing sharpens discipline.

The kavadi

The kavadi is a wooden arch on a wooden base decorated with peacock feathers and flowers and in which is placed a picture of Lord Muruga. Two pots, filled with milk, are hung at both ends of this wooden base. The devotee carries this kavadi on his shoulder to the temple, which is usually on a hill, where the milk is poured over the statue of Lord Muruga within the temple's sanctum sanctorum.

Although this is the standard kavadi, some devotees also pierce their bodies with skewers in the shape of the Vel.

The spectacle of devotees carrying large, colourfully decorated kavadi or pulling a small chariot with ropes connected to skewers pierced through their skin is a common sight during Thaipusam.

To carry the kavadi, the devotee must prepare himself by observing certain disciplinary practices. For instance, for a certain period before Thaipusam day, he or she must be on a vegetarian diet and observe celibacy. He must not smoke or consume alcohol or take drugs, and he must refrain from killing even an insect.

Vegetarian diet

A vegetarian diet is a must because the kavadi-carrying practice is designed to make the devotee more compassionate and to realise that all life is sacred.

In giving up meat, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, the devotee is to realise that the human body is a temple which should not be desecrated.

And, expanding from that, he should realise that if his body is a temple, the bodies of other people - including his wife, children, friends and even those he dislikes - are temples too. He should therefore not abuse them.

The devotee must be clean in thought, word and deed; he must not waste energy; he has to control his anger, lust, and negative emotions and lead a simple life, including sleeping on a mat.

Vijayanayagam, for instance, has been on a vegetarian diet for 21 days. He gets up at 4.30am, takes his bath, meditates, and prays at his home altar before having breakfast of orange or carrot juice. He eats mostly fruits throughout the day and sleeps on a mat on the floor.

“The most important thing is that I must keep my mind and heart clean. I avoid thinking negative thoughts, I try not to lose my temper, I try to minimise my needs and I constantly think of Muruga Perumaan,” he says.

From man to divine man

During this period of contemplation, the devotee begins to fathom that the observances are designed to shape her into a more disciplined member of society; give her the confidence to undertake any work or fulfil any dream; and help develop inner strength, courage and willpower; that they are necessary preliminaries not only for attaining an equilibrium within and without but also for spiritual development.

Esoterically, the kavadi signifies meditation, and the devotee is reminded to meditate and realise Brahman.

Kavadi-carrying is really the alchemical process of transforming an ordinary person into a disciplined, aware and compassionate human being, one who recognises the divinity within himself and all life forms.

The sages who initiated the kavadi-carrying practice hoped that devotees would make these observances a part of their daily lives and not just do it for Thaipusam.

And this Vijayanayagam endeavours to do.

Do you have a story tip? Email: malaysia.newsroom@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.