People of Tamil Nadu celebrated the festival of Arudra Darisanam yesterday with spiritual pomp and fervour totally ignoring all rumblings and hype created by the media over the “decision” of a film actor to stay away from politics. Nothing matters to the people of Tamil Nadu when it comes to expression of devotion and aligning themselves to the core values of Sanatana Dharma.
Arudra Darisanam? Yes. It is a festival celebrated in Lord Shiva temples across Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the day of Thiruvadirai Nakshatram (Arudra Star) in the month of Margazhi (Marghashirsha).
Though this festival is celebrated across all Lord Shiva temples in these 2 states, the celebrations in the following temples gain greater significance as Lord Shiva is believed to have performed his cosmic dance directly in these 5 kshetras :
Chidambaram – Kanaka Sabai
Thiruvalangadu – Ratna Sabai
Madurai – Velli Sabai
Tirunelveli – Thamira Sabai
Thirukkutralam – Chitra Sabai
As per Hindu legend, Shri Adi Sesha (the seven-hooded serpent of Lord Vishnu) wished to see the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva and expressed this desire to Lord Vishnu. He advised Adi Sesha to perform intense penance to Lord Shiva and put up this request to Him directly. Accordingly, Shri Adi Sesha commenced penance in Chidambaram. During the same time, Sage Vyaghrapada, an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva too performed an intense penance in the same place to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before them and performed His Cosmic dance (Dance of Bliss) to them in Chidambaram on the day of Thiruvadirai in the month of Margazhi. Sage Vyaghrapada also had another unique boon to ask – change his legs to that of a tiger, so that he could pluck flowers from the nearby garden in the early morning hours for Shiva pooja without being stung by the thorns and honey bees. This boon was also granted and Sage Vyaghrapada got tiger legs.
Hence, Hindus celebrate this day to mark the ardent devotion and penance of these 2 devotees and the resultant Cosmic dance of Lord Shiva in Chidambaram on the day of Thiruvadirai in the month of Margazhi. As Lord Shiva gave His darshan to His devotees on this day, this is called “Arudra Dharisanam”.
While it is believed that worshipping Lord Shiva on the day of Maha Sivaratri would get the devotees Mukti, a mere darshan of Lord Shiva on the day of Arudra Darisanam would lead them to Mukthi.
It may be noted that Thiruvadirai would mean to denote “mighty sacred wave” that resulted in the formation of the universe. It is believed that Lord Shiva performed the cosmic dance after creation of universe and born in Thiruvadirai Star as Nataraja in Chidambaram.
Lord Nataraja symbolises Shakti and hence the vigraha of Nataraja is placed in the European Union Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. The plaque alongside the vigraha in CERN Centre explains that Lord Shiva danced the Universe into existence, motivates it and will eventually extinguish it. Carl Sagan, a noted Astronaut and Scientist drew the metaphor between the cosmic dance of Nataraja and the modern study of “Cosmic Dance” of subatomic particles.
