The one who comprises all the living beings

The one who comprises all the living beings

 

How is it that all the living beings are included in him? We do not need to reiterate that he is a deity. Is he not the foremost that we pray to among all the deities? The important quality of a deity is to compassionate bless the devotees without draining out the power to grant boons. This quality is fully present in lord vigneswarar.

 

He is also represents the ghosts. How? He has a big belly, short limbs which are normally qualities of ghosts.

 

How can we say that he represents human beings? Human beings only cook and eat food, i.e. boil and cook the food and eat. Animals eat raw plants or meat directly. The demons and beasts eat raw meat. They are called "kravyaatar". Kravyam means raw meat.

 

The deities take the only the essence (spirit) of the food that we offer, though we may offer nice food items, as offerings or oblations. Only human beings eat cooked food. Lord vigneswarar is the only one who takes the modak (rice stuffed pudding) which is cooked twice, not once. First, the rice flour is steamed and it is mixed and made into small cups, and inside these cups the sweet coconut is stuffed, and the pudding (modak) is steamed again--therefore modak is a twice cooked food. Some people consider this modak as not freshly cooked (because it is cooked twice), and so they fry the modak in ghee, and make it like a puff (a food item called somasi) for offering. When he is offered in the fire oblations like other gods, usually the fried modak is offered to him. What ever item we offer in the fire, the deities only take the spirit (essence) of the item. However, because the food we offer should not be cooked twice, the tradition is to offer the fried modaks. Instead of the homam (with fire), when the lord vigneswarar is worshipped as an idol, we offer only the normal steamed modak. The lord is the only one who, befitting the name he earned as "modaka hasta", is literally carrying a modak in his hand. The lord Krishna who has a form with butter in his hands and embracing the pots full of butter, has incarnated among us in human form. Moreover, the butter is not a cooked item. In the same way, the lord subramaniar is not carrying his favorite, honey and corn powder. Nor is the goddess annapoorna carrying the sweet porridge (payasam) in her hands for her own food; she is carrying it for serving us. Lord vigneswarar is the only one who also eats while giving us.

 

Like this, he wanted to show that he represents the deities, the ghosts, human beings, as well as the animals. For human beings, the basic form is the same for all. In the case of deities, and ghosts also the basic form is similar. Only in the case of animals, in one group itself there are various forms of animals with different characteristics. For example, how many varieties of animals such as the gentle cow and sheep, to the fearful tiger and lion? While there are so many, the Lord selected the elephant form because of the various special qualities in the elephant.