Murugan and womens

[McKitty]

Vanakkam,

Aum Ganapataye namaha
Jai Sri Sri Murugan

I have a question about worship of Murugan by womens... I have read on some websites that Murugan should not be worshipped by womens...But on others, I have also read that one should pray Sri Ganesh and Sri Murugan before Shiv puja or Abhisekam.

It is very auspicious because Sri Ganesh removes obstacles for the practice going smoothly, and Sri Murugan gives spiritual strenght for results of the practice.

On one side they say worship by womens is no-no, on the other they say nothing about it. That's strange.

Do you have any advice or scripture about worship of Sri Murugan by womens ? Any Saivite and female Saivite that worship Sri Murugan ? Any advice is welcomed !


Thank you !

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam McKitty: Murugan is worshipped by women all over. What is your source of Him not being worshipped by women? I've been to the 6 sacred arapadaveedu Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu, to Mauritus, etc. and I've never heard of this idea at all. Either I was hallucinating, or those people in the queues for darshan were women.

Not sure where you got this information.

Aum Namasivaya

[McKitty]

Vanakkam EasternMindji,

I have this information from 2 hindu websites about Murugan and from little personal experience....In Tamil Nadu, we (me, my aunt, her sisten and little girl) were forbidden to enter a Murugan temple in a village.
From this and seeing that, I came to the conclusion that maybe it was because we were womens ?

But thank you very much for your information, I am relieved !



Aum Namah Shivaya

[Jodhaa]

Vanakkam EasternMindji,

I have this information from 2 hindu websites about Murugan and from little personal experience....In Tamil Nadu, we (me, my aunt, her sisten and little girl) were forbidden to enter a Murugan temple in a village.
From this and seeing that, I came to the conclusion that maybe it was because we were womens ?

But thank you very much for your information, I am relieved !



Aum Namah Shivaya

I have read that certain temples in India forbid entrance to Westerners due to problems with disrespect to Temple in the past, but never in regards to gender. It might be that you were barred entrance for being westerners.

Also, in a general sense (and this is coming from someone who knows very little about Murugan) God is genderless so it really shouldn't matter. In fact, women worshiping "male" gods has a certain complementary balance to it. A very Shiva/Shakti relationship. That's just what I see though. I don't think it's something you need to worry about.

Peace!

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: I agree with Jodhaa, that it was most likely the fact you were western. This temple entrance thing has been discussed on here quite a bit, but I'm not the best at navigating this site, so I can't refer you to specific threads easily.

Can you remember the name of the village?

But suffice it to say its a bit of a mess, and can't easily be fixed.

Just go ahead and worship Murugan. He is the God of yoga, and in this sense, best represented as the renunciate monk at Palani.

Aum Namasivaya

[McKitty]

Vanakkam,


Thank you for your answer again, both of you !

Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the village. It was a village near a road to Kanchipuram, the temple was very large and open air. There were two big statues of mens with big teeth and one of their hands was in the air. Inside the temple I could briefly see statues of horses, an altar with the murthi, under a very very big tree that was covering the temple like a roof.

I don't think this is a very big or well known temple, but it was very beautiful !

I am sorry, I know this may be the 10000th stupid question I ask xD But you know, when you are learning and curious, without the possibility to ask to Gurudev, it's difficult to decide which text or which person to believe. And I don't want to go against the tradition.

So...That's why I asked. Sorry about that xD But I find this forum the only place to have valuable advices and answers, thank you very, very much !

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Viraja]

Avvaiyar is the female Tamil saint who was very devoted to Murugan.

I too have special affinity for Murugan since young. I was raised in a family that wasn't too spiritual to begin with. Any bit of temple-going was also done at Thiruverkadu, a Kaumari temple which is none of Vaishnavite belief. Goddess Kaumari had helped uplift my maternal family when it was struggling and hence my mother and her mother remained loyal to the goddess more than any other deity. Raised in that environment, I had special affinity for Muruga when young. It was only when I was about 20, I grew a special affection for Tirupathi Balaji. It is said, any god you pray to, they will naturally lead you to your Ishta-devata and to me, praying to Tirupathi Balaji seems to have led me to Lakshmi Narasimha and from him to Sri Rama.

I've wandered off a bit, but until recently I used to recite Shri Subrahmanya Bhujanga Stotram everyday along with other worship and I did not face anything negative.

[ShriBala]

Deleted...

[Viraja]

This would be considered blasphemy for an orthodox Vaishnavite.

You bet! But I feel orthodox Shaivites frown more at Vaishnavites for their beliefs than vice versa... could be my perception only not sure. Lord Mahadev might be the rudra that even Vishnu merges into at the end of dissolution of the entire Universe before next cycle begins, meaning, Mahadeva lives longer than that, but I personally feel most Shaivites want this recognition from all Vaishnavites at all situations. It is offensive somewhat. I've noticed such an attitude in comments like 'It is Mahadeva's laughing time when an old Vishnu dies and new Vishnu takes birth' and so forth... Meaning Mahadeva lives so much longer that within the time it takes for him to complete 1 laughter, a Vishnu is born, all his leelas performed, dissolution taken place and that Vishnu has ended! (Swami Kripanandha Vaariyar's sishya Desa Mangayarkarasi told this in a recent upanyasa at a certain Bhakti Festival organized by a popular TV station in India - through this same TV, I have heard atleast 1 more speaker at a different occassion speaking little less of Sri Vaishnavism).

[ShriBala]

Vanakkam,
But you know, when you are learning and curious, without the possibility to ask to Gurudev, it's difficult to decide which text or which person to believe.
Aum Namah Shivaya

Namaskar. Ask your Deva of devas -- Shri Mahadeva. He's such a kind deva that He'll help you out. Surely, you know that?

The only thing to be kept in mind: God is NOT vindictive. S/He will not punish as long as there is bhakti