11. Ugra Pandyan Acquires Weapons
When Ugra Pandya attained suitable age, the Lord and Devi prepare to hand over the reins of the kingdom to him. When they realised he had attained the maturity and the capability, they coronate him.
Next, they finalised his marriage with Kanthimathi, daughter of king of Manavur, so that he may become a householder and through that seek spiritual knowledge. That king was a descendent of the dynasty of the sun.
Ugra Pandya and Kanthimathi coming together in wedlock united the two dynasties. This helped turned enmity to friendship. The Lord could have got his son married to some powerful dynasty. But this alliance shows his foresight. Material gains are all temporary, it is spiritual gain that lasts. The Lord realises that the Manavur king was spiritually evolved.
The Sun and the Moon dynasties. The Sun is the symbol of pure enlightenment and moon represents the mind. Their union signifies that the mind is now immersed in spiritual enlightenment. There is no doubt that their son followed the path his parents followed and lived a fulfilling life.
In this episode, the Samudrika aspects (the physical symbols) are discussed in detail. The characteristics of the parts of the body represent some psychological trait. But regardless of that, through awareness, anyone can attain spiritual knowledge.
Soon after the wedding, the Lord bestows on his son three weapons needed to protect his kingdom – the shield (or is it hoop?), the spear and the mace.
Then the Lord and the Devi proceeded to vanaprastham – seeking spiritual knowledge through severe penance in the forest, and then like the sages, attained salvation and unity with the Divine by discarding the body.
It is believed that the Lord carved the image of the Devi in emerald with his own hands.
The shield/hoop represents the influence of the mind on thinking.
The spear stands for knowledge gained through long experience.
The mace stands for unbending integrity.
He established the Kochadai Dharmashastha in the west. The mother has worshipped him there too, and that is why is said, ‘Thatataka manapreethyayai namaha’.
Om Namah Sivaya
