Sri Meenakshi

Shaktham is one among the very old religions. Shakthy literally means, energy & worship of Power or Energy is called Shaktham. That's why Shakthy is associated with red color. Worshipping the Almighty or "Nirguna Bhramhan" or Pure Consciousness in the form of our Mother is a great tradition. The history of Shaktham dates back to Tantric Eras, which was much practised in the Northern Parts of India. Later on different offerings like flesh,liquor... were replaced with ginger,milk..respectively. After the arrival of Sri Shankara Bagavadpada, he reformed the Tanthras & established the Sri Vidya Tantra through out our Bharatha Desham. It was Bagavadpada, who wrote Soundarya Lahari, which is a glimpse of the description of the beauty & greatness of the graces Matha. The very first verse of Soundarya Lahari states that,Lord Shiva becomes powerless on this separation from SriMatha.

In the ancient city of Madurai starting from the day next to NoMoonDay or Prathama in the Tamil month of Chithirai (April - May) the annual Festivity or "Bhramha Utsavam" or "Chitirai ThiruVizha" starts , proceeds for about 10 days & on the 11th day the festivities end up with Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara Kalyanam or the celestial wedding of Sri Meenakshi Devi & Halasya Natha or Angayar Kanni & Alavayar.


Sri Meenakshi Pattabishekam (Crowning)	Sri Meenakshi on Rishabha Vahanam	Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara Thirukalyanam (Marriage Ceremony)

At the time of doing Bandasura Vadham Matha's different Nithyasuris like Pasham(rope),Ankusham(goad), Kodandam(bow), Pancha Bhanam(5 arrows), Sri Chakram... (Matha's divine abode)took a feminine form. Different Shakthis like Manthrini, Dandini, SampathKari, Aswarooda arose from them respectively. Different Rathams or auspicious cars like Geya Chakra Ratham, Giri Chakra Ratham.. also came from her divine abode Sri Chakram. Manthrini came from her Ankusham. Lalitha Sahsaranamam says

Raga Swaroopa Pashadya Krodhakara Ankusha Ujwala
Meaning : Pasham or the rope represents Ragam &Ankusham represents the anger or Krodham
Manorupekshu Kodhanda PanchaThanmathra Sayaka
Meaning: Kodhandam represents the mind & the Panchbanam represents the five senses(vision,smell,hearing,taste & body)

Ankusham is a weapon or a tool, which is used to control the Elephants. Usually the men who take care of Elephants or Elephant tamers have a rod with a perpendicular projection from that. They make a wound on the Elephant's body & whenever the Elephant misbehaves, they put the rod & control the Elephant. The Ankusham in Sri Matha's hand is representing the weapon, which controls our minds. Even our minds are like mad elephants, which roam around with worldly things! Manthrini Matha came from Sri Lalithambika's Ankusham. Sri Mainkshi or AngayarKanni is an incarnation of Manthrini Matha. She was born as a daughter of Malayadhvaja Pandya & Kanchana Malai. Sri Sundareshwara married her & even Shanmuka who's the Deity for Tamil language was born as Muthu Kumara there. The city of Madurai is such a divine city. It was where the divine family of Parvathy & Parameshwara lived during the olden Era. Sri Lalitha Sahasranamam refers to Manthrini Matha & Madhurai in two places :

Manthrini Amba Virachita Vishanga Vadha Doshitha
Meaning : Manthrini mother killed Vishanga who was a demon.
Kathamba VanaVasini
Meaning: A lady who resides in a forest filled with kadhamba trees.

In olden days Madhurai was a forest filled with a specific kind of trees called Kadhamba trees. So Meenakshi Matha is called as a Gokilam or cuckoo in the Kadhamba Forest. Meenakshi is darker in complexion & she is little greener. Her green or blue or black color is also because she is Hari or Sri Maha Vishnu's sister. Great Tamil literatures like Silappadhikaram have references to Madhurai. Meenakshi & Shiva had been the heads of the Tamil Sangams in Madhurai right from the beginning. As per historians there had been three Tamil Sangams .

Thalai or Topmost - led by Shiva or Sundareshwarah
Idai or Mid Sangam - led by Matha or Meenakshi
Kadai or the last - led by Krishna or Thirumal

But all the three were based at Madhurai only. It was in this temple that the "Arangetram" of the divine verses of "Thirukural" took place. When ThiruValluvar dropped the palm leaves containing the verses in the temple pond they got collected in Golden lotuses. That's why that pond is called "Potramarai Kulam"(GoldenLotus Tank) even today. Such is the greatness of the temple.

There are thousands of hymns like MadhurapuriAmbikai Pathikam,Angayarkanni Andhadhi, Meenakshi Ammai Pillai Tamil... dedicated to Meenakshi. Actually the word Meenakshi means meenam = fish, Akshi = eyed. So her eyes are like a fish.Shiva is referred to as Ala Vayar in Tamil. Actually the root Sanskrit word is Halasya Natha. Meaning Halaysya = Smiling faced , Natha = King.There are two rishis associated with Thiru Thillai or Sri Chidambaram namely VyagraPada (Tiger footed) & Pathanjali(the celestial serpent of Lord Vishnu). Both of those rishis used to visit Madhurai daily go back to Chidambaram & have their lunch. One day by chance it got delayed in Madurai & they did not want to have lunch before going to Chidambaram. Parameshwara wanted to make them realize the fact that Sri Natraja & Sri Sundareshwara were one & the same. So he performed the Ananda Nruthyam (Dance of Happiness) in Madhurai. Only then both of the rishis were convinced. So Madhurai is both a Shakthy & Shiva Kshethram.

It is on the shuklapaksha (waxing phase of moon) Prathama (I day) that the yearly Utsavam starts in Madhurai. On the twelveth day or Dwadashi Meenakshi Kalyanam occurs for which Sri Sundararaja Swamy from Azhakar Koil comes all the way to Madhurai. At the time of Meenakshi Kalyanam LordShiva wanted to show the world that Shiva & Vishnu were same. So he took the form of ShankaraNarayana & he presided over the marriage as Matha's brother. But Vishnu had to go out urgently to bless the local tribal community caller "Kallars". By the time he came back the marriage was over. Vishnu was disappointed by that incident. But Shiva shows him the Shankaranarayana Swaroopam & blesses him. Narayana Suktham in Yajur Veda says

"Rudhagum Sathyam ParamBhramha Purusham Krishna Pinkalam
Urdhvaredham Viroopaksham Viswarupaya Vai namo Namaha"
Meaning: I salute the supreme form which is the combination of Shiva (Urdhvaredham,Viroopaksham) & Vishnu(Kirshna Pinkalam ,Param Bhramha Purusham...).

The Annual Utsavam or Bhramhotsavam at Sri Sundararaja Swamy temple also starts at the same day! On the Wedding Day of Meenakshi, Sri Sundararaja Swamy, rides on a silver horse & gets into "Vaikai" river. Still today this festival is celebrated with a great pomp through out Tamilnad.

As we have seen already in our Shaivam section the child saint Thiru Gnana Sampandar was also associated with Madhurai & he reestablished the Vedic religion in Tamilnad & saved the Tamilians from the hands or brutal Jains.The name Madhurapuri itself is derived from the city Mathura as the Pandya Kings are considered to be the descendants of Sri Krishna himself. All the carnatic singers have sung songs on the glories of Meenakshi. Shyama Shasthry has sung Navarathna Malika on her. he sung the first song & he forgot about that completely. Lord Sundareshwara himself came in the disguise of a common man & asked him to complete the Navarathna Malika. So ShyamaShastry went to Madhurai & completed it by singing 8 more songs. Dikshitar's Meenakshi me AmudhamDehi in Poorvi Kalyani is very famous & Dikshatar's disciples sung that song when he attained salvation. Sri Adi Shankara Bagavadpada's MinakshiPanchaRathnam is also really great. As he says in his Keerthanam or song let's all meditate on her lotus feet & praise her as

"MeenaLochani Pashamochani"
Meaning: Let the lady with an eye like a fish remove our bonds with worldly things.

Matha is praised as
"Nama Parayana Preetha"
Meaning: A lady who likes or is pleased by chanting her names!

Let the world rest in peace by her graces.

!!!!!Om Shakthy Om Shakthy!!!