Kantha Puranam
கந்த புராணம் - கச்சியப்ப சிவாச்சாரியார்

in Professor.C.R.Krishnamurthy's
Thamizh Literature Through the Ages

Though the mythology of Kan^tha purANam was of VEdhic origin, Kacchiappa SivAchAriyAr (கச்சியப்பசிவாசாரியார்) took it upon himself to adopt the biographical details of Kan^than (கந்தன்) to make into a true Thamizh epic as stated by the author in the following poem.

காந்தமாகிய பெருங் கடலுள் கந்தவேள்
போந்திரு நிமித்தமும் புனிதன் கண்ணிடை
ஏந்தல்வந் தவுணர்கள் யாரு மவ்வழி
மாய்ந்திட வடர்த்தது மற்றுங் கூறுகேன்
(கந்த புராணம் 1-1-14)

The original Sanskrit work, Skanda PurANA was made up of six sections of which the Sankara Sankithai (சங்கர சங்கிதை), the fifth and the largest, contained the Siva rakasiya kANdam(சிவரகசிய காண்டம்).. The latter is made up of seven chapters (காண்டம்)  of which the first six were modified by the author and the seventh, the upadEsa kANdam (உபதேச காண்டம்) by his student GnAna VarOdhayar (ஞானவரோதயர்)  to constitute the Kan^tha purANam in Thamizh (10345 poems).

Kacchiappa SivAchAriyAr (1350-1420 A.D.) was a scholar in Thamizh, Sanskrit, the scriptures as well as in Saiva SitthAn^tham (சைவசித்தாந்தம்).

அந்தமில் ஆகமத்தின் அரும்பதம் முன்றும் கூறப்
புந்தியது ஒடுங்கும் ஞானபோதகம் போதியென்ர்
(கந்தபுராணம் 1-3-10)

What made his work monumental is his love of the Thamizh culture and personal devotion to Kan^than or Murugan(முருகன்). Out of all the mythological details arising from the VEdhic systems, the one retained by the Thamizh people without any hesitation pertains to the image of Murugan, the second son of Sivan. Whether this partisan attitude is due to Murugan's origin in the SaravaNa spring (சரவணப்பொய்கை)or to his upbringing by the six Thamizh women (கார்த்திகைப்பெண்டிர்) is not known. It is also possible that his marriage to the hunter girl, VaLLi (குறமகள் வள்ளி) and his patronage of the Thamizh language through his blessings to the legendary agatthia Munivar (அகத்திய முனிவர்) could have contributed to his popularity in the Thamizh region.

In addition, Thamizh people have always been captivated by the beauty and power of Murugan. He is believed to the personification of Lord Sivan himself and has been an integral part of the Thamizh culture. It is no surprise, therefore, that a Thamizh epic devoted exclusively to praise Kan^than's glory was very well received.

In one sense, Kacchiappa SivAchAriyAr's work was the Saivaite equivalent of Kampan's adoption of the Vaishnavaite epic, rAmAyaNam. Both the poets used the legends as their models and made appropriate changes in the story to depict the literary style, the culture and values unique to the Thamizh people. The sentiments of the Thamizh people regarding how high they cherished this work are reflected in the following proverbs: . 

Kan^tha PurANam is our own epic (கந்தபுராணம் நம் சொந்தப் புராணம்) ;
What is not found in Kan^tha PurANam cannot be found anywhere else (கந்தபுராணத்தில் இல்லாதது எந்தப் புராணத்தும் இல்லை).

Dr.K.Zvelebil's "The Smile of Murugan" is an example of its universal literary appeal.

9.2.2.1.1. Salient Features of Kan^tha PurANam

a) The legendary aspect of Murugan's blessings (அருள்) to the author is revealed in the invocation to Vin^Ayakar (விநாயகர் காப்பு) wherein the following sentence is found: (திகட சக்கரச் செம்முக மைந்துளான்). When he was criticized that the syntax when  (திகழ் + தசக்கரம்)  to give (திகடசக்கரம்) was wrong, Murugan himself came in the form of a poet next day and proved that there was a grammatical precedence in VIra SOzhium (வீரசோழியம்)  in support of the questionable syntax.

b) Kan^tha PurANam is well known for crystallizing the Saiva SitthAn^tha doctrine (சைவசித்தாந்தம்)  as can be seen in the following poem. The advaitha philosophy that the AnmA(ஆன்மா) and Sivan (பிரமம்) are not two different things but are the same is explained beautifully: 

பாசம் என்றும் பசுஎன்றும் மேதகும்
ஈசன் என்றும் இசைப்பர், தளையெனப்
பேசல் மித்தை, பிறிதிலை, ஆவியும்
தேசு மேவு சிவனும் ஒன்று ஆகுமே
(கந்த புராணம் 2-10-24)

The absolute devotion (பக்தி) of Kacchiappa SivAchAriyAr to Lord Murugan is evident in the following poem. He had reiterated very clearly that absolute devotion to the Supreme Being (பிரமம்) which is capable of manifesting himself in an abstract or concrete form, all in one and one in all, is the only way for salvation.

அருவமும் உருவுமாகி அநாதியாய்ப் பலவாய் ஒன்ய்
பிரமமாய் நின்றசோதிப் பிழம்பதோர் மேனியாகக்
கருணைகூர் முகங்களாறும் கரங்கள் பன்னிரண்டும் கொண்டே
ஒருதிரு முருகன் வந்தாங்கு உதித்தனன் உலகுமுய்ய
(கந்த புராணம் 1-11-62)

c) In the midst of his preoccupation to convey the doctrines of Saivaite philosophy, Kacchiappa SivAchAriyAr did not miss any opportunity to discuss the lighter sides of love and romance. When VaLLi, the hunter girl, was indifferent to Murugan's approaches, he pleaded as follows: "If you do not speak, if you do not even smile, if you do not caste a glance at me, if you do not appreciate my feelings of lust and love, be rest assured that you have to pay for it eventually".

மொழி யொன்று புகலாயாயின்
முறுவலும் புரியாயாயின்
விழியொன் றுநோக் காயாயின்
விரகமிக்கு உழல் வேனுய்யும்
வழியொன் றுகாட்டா யாயின்
மனமும் சற்று ருகாயாயின்
பழியொன்று நின்பாற் சூழும்
பராமுகம் தவிர்த்தி யென்ன்
(கந்தபுராணம் 6-24-72)

d) The literary finesse of the poet is depicted in the following poem where the enemy, SUrapanman (சூரபன்மன்) goes on his grand rounds with pomp and show. Hearing him coming accompanied by his vast army, the entire world was trembling in its shoes and was seeking shelter:

பூந டுங்கின பணிக்குல நடுங்கின புரைதீர்
வான டுங்கின மாதிர நடுங்கின வரைகள்
தாக நடுங்கின புணரிகள் நடுங்கின தறுகண்
தீந டுங்கின நிருதர்கோன் பெரும்படை செல்ல
(கந்தபுராணம் 2-12-29)