THE JOURNEY TO SWARGAM. The planets turned hostile to human beings. Rains failed! The crops and fields withered and dried off without water. All the three kings of Tamilnadu were saddened by the plight of their poor citizens.
They wanted to do something to save their people from famine and starvation deaths. They sought the help of the great sage Agasthya. The rushi’s forecast was disheartening indeed! “There will no rains for the next twelve years! There will be a terrible famine. Water will become very scarce. Only Indra can save the situation!” “But how are we to meet Indra who is in Heaven and explain our plight to him, in order to win his mercy?” the kings asked the great sage. “There is a special path which will lead straight to the heaven! But normal persons can not see it. If you please Lord Siva, He will surely show you the path to Heaven!” The sage continued, “Siva is the supreme among all the gods. Uma Maheswari the supreme among all the shaktis. Soma Vaara Vrathm is the best among all the Vrathams. Madhuraapuri is the best place to do any Vratham. Amaavasya Soma vaaram is the most auspicious day to start the Vratham. I will teach you the rules of the Vratham. You may perform it in Mahuraapuri and get everything you wish for!” The three kings learned the proper way of doing the Vratham.They went to Madhuraapuri and took a holy dip in the Pond of golden lotuses. They started the Vratham on a Amaavasya Soma Vaaram and completed it successfully . Now they could clearly see the path which would lead them straight to the Heaven and to its king Indra! THE MEETING WITH INDRA. The three Tamil kings reached swargam. Indra had different respects for different races. He sat on a high throne at a higher level and offered the three kings three thrones at a lower level. The Chera and Chola kings were ready to stoop low in order to get what they wanted from Indra. So they did not mind the thrones at a lower level. They occupied the seats quietly. But Ugravarman was the amsam of Lord Skanda and would not be humiliated by Indra. He moved in and sat on Indra’s throne-along with him, sharing it with him! The Chera and Chola Kings described the plight of their countrymen and begged for Indra’s mercy and assistance in this matter. Indra was very pleased by the humility of the two kings. He presented them with rich gifts and sent them away with a promise of timely rains. Ugravarman just sat there watching the recent developments. Indra mistook his calmness as pride and arrogance. He wanted to test the physical strength of the king. He ordered a special Pearl haaram to be brought to them. Several persons carried the heavy haaram with a great difficulty. Ugravarman wore the necklace as if it were a garland of flowers. Indra praised him as the “Maran who wore the heavy haaram!” Ugravarman said nothing and went back to earth. The countries of Chera and Chola were flourishing while that of Ugravarman was perishing! One day Ugravarman went for hunting near Chandana Vanam and saw the famous four rain clouds roaming low on the hilly sides of mount Pothigai. He promptly arrested them and imprisoned them. Indra was at his wit’s ends since his rain clouds had been imprisoned by Ugravarman. He raked his brain to find a solution to this grave problem. THROWING DISCUS AT INDRA Indra became mad with anger! He became a bitter enemy of the Paandiya King. His only aim was to free the clouds- his servants for the prison of Ugravarman. He lead an army on the Paandiya Kingdom. A fierce battle ensued. Ugran was the amsam of Lord Skanda. The Devas were defeated and took to their heels. Indra was left all alone amidst the enemies. So now they fought one-to-one. A bout of wresting started between Indra and Ugravarman. Indra thought it was pointless to wrestle when he could finish off Ugran with his vajraayutham. He threw the Vajrayutham at Ugran and Ugran threw the discus given by his father. The discus knocked off the Vajrayutham and went straight for Indra’s head. According to the Durvaasaa’s saapam it should have shattered Indra’s head to a thousand pieces but it merely shattered his crown. Indra was saved by the infinite compassion Lord Siva showered on him.. Indra did not give up!.He sent messages demanding the release of the clouds. Ugran knew that Indra was capable of playing many dirty tricks. He did not trust Indra. Ekaveeran was Indra’s friend. He offered to become a hostage in the place of the clouds. The clouds were finally released. They rose high up in the sky and started raining on Paandiya kingdom. All the rivers, ponds, lakes and tanks were overflowing with rainwater. The famine and drought disappeared. Paandiya Kingdom became fertile and prosperous once again. <http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/worldmalayaliclub/> *வாழிய செந்தமிழ்! வாழ்க நற்றமிழர்!* *வாழிய பாரதமணித் திருநாடு!* *V A N A K K A M S U B B U * [image: யவனிகா's Avatar] -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
