Before we dive into our spiritual and musical journey, let me share the secret of how this post actually came to be. It all started recently during the Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam’s 50th-year Golden Jubilee celebrations. As part of the festivities, we were driving to attend a special Thiruppugazh event.

Suddenly, my daughter launched a missile from the back seat: ‘Appa, has Saint Tyagaraja composed any song on Lord Muruga? What is the connection between Thiruppugazh and Tyagaraja?’

Driving the car while secretly admiring myself as some grand Carnatic music enthusiast, I suddenly had absolutely no idea what to say. I started blinking like a broken car indicator light. What on earth is the connection between Tyagaraja and Muruga? Managing to gather myself, and to save my dignity as a father, I said, ‘Good question! We can think about that later. For now, let your focus ONLY be on the Thiruppugazh songs!’ I put extra emphasis on that ‘only.’

With that question continuously drilling into my brain, the moment I got home, I searched intensely with the help of Almighty Google. A rare musical treasure caught my eye. Not only that, but Vaikasi Visakam is emerging in just two days! Realizing this was practically a signal handed to me by the universe, I have put together this post for you, featuring both the story of Lord Muruga and the very song that saved my dignity.

When Rama’s Ultimate Fan Wrote a Song for Muruga

If you know Saint Tyagaraja, you know he was the ultimate, unyielding devotee of Lord Rama. He was so single-minded that if you asked him to compose a song on anyone else, he’d likely give you a polite but firm, “Thanks, but I’m exclusive with Ayodhya.” Yet, rules are meant to be broken when the inspiration is overwhelmingly beautiful. Enter the song “Varashikhi Vahana,” an absolute musical anomaly. It stands as Tyagaraja’s only known composition dedicated entirely to Lord Muruga.

It’s as if Tyagaraja looked at Lord Muruga riding His grand, divine peacock, and thought, “Alright, just this once, because that appearance is spectacular and those lotus eyes are hard to ignore.”

To make things even more exclusive, he chose an exceptionally rare rāgam named Supradipam (SupraDheepam), which literally translates to “The Brilliant, Auspicious Lamp.” The music evokes a bright, yearning spiritual luminescence.

Let’s look at what the saint actually wrote in this rare gem, broken down with a bit of modern context:

• Pallavi: varashikhi vAhana vArija lOcana (Oh Lord who rides the divine, noble peacock! Oh lotus-eyed one!). This translates to “Hey Muruga, You’ve got the premium, top-tier model of a peacock, and Your eyes are absolutely stunning.”
• Anupallavi: kuru shantanu jita kusuma sharayuta sharaja bhavAmbuda vAhanAdi saranuta pAda suguNa kumAra (Oh virtuous youth born in the reeds! Your feet are worshipped by the Devas! You who conquered Manmatha, the flower-arrowed god of love!) This means “You are the ultimate superstar kid born in a reed pool, so inherently charming that even the God of Love failed his vibe check against You.”
• Charanam: tAraka shUra padmAsura tUla dahana bhUdhara suta nandana dhIra shrI raghuvara bhAginEyApta udAra ghrNAkara tyAgarAjanuta. This translates to “Oh brave son of Parvati! You who incinerated the demons Tarakasura and Soorapadman like a bale of cotton in a blazing fire! Oh beloved nephew of the noble Raghuvara (Rama)! You are the compassionate, generous one praised by Tyagaraja!”)

Hold the phone. Did you catch that? Tyagaraja is a genius marketer. Even when he is writing a song exclusively for Muruga, he manages to slide his favorite hero into the lyrics by calling Muruga “Shri Raghuvara Bhagineya”—the nephew of Lord Rama! It’s the ultimate spiritual loophole. “Look Rama, I’m singing to Muruga, but technically, I’m still praising Your extended family tree!”

The Birth of the Six Sparks (Vaikasi Visakam)

What makes this song exceptionally brilliant for Vaikasi Visakam today is how perfectly the lyrics and the rāgam match the calendar. As Tyagaraja explicitly points out in the Charanam, Muruga is the “tUla dahana”—the blazing fire that turned the demon Soorapadman into a pile of burnt cotton. And how did Muruga arrive? As six brilliant sparks of fire from Lord Shiva’s third eye! Singing a song in Supradipam (“The Brilliant Lamp”) today is basically the musical equivalent of lighting a massive birthday candle for Muruga’s birthday, Vaikasi Visakam.

The story behind this day is wild. The universe was being terrorized by a demon named Soorapadman. The Devas, tired of being pushed around, complained to Lord Shiva. Shiva opened His third eye and out popped six fiery sparks.

These sparks were so hot that Agni (the fire god) and Vayu (the wind god) had to carry them gingerly over to the Ganges, who dropped them into a holy pond called Saravana Poigai (sharaja bhava). The moment they hit the water, they transformed into six beautiful babies. To avoid a logistical babysitting nightmare, six Krittika maidens looked after them. When Goddess Parvati (bhUdhara suta) came along and gave them one giant, loving maternal hug, the six babies fused into one magnificent divine form with six faces and twelve hands—Lord Shanmukha.

Talk about a compact family package! He was born young, exceptionally handsome, and armed with ultimate wisdom (Gnana) to destroy ignorance.

Celebrated globally by Tamil communities, Vaikasi Visakam is the day we clear out our internal “ego-monsters” just like Muruga cleared out Soorapadman and Tarakasura. Devotees carry Kavadi, walk miles barefoot, and pour liters of milk for Abhishekam. So, whether you are listening to Tyagaraja’s clever shout-out to Rama’s nephew or enjoying some festive panchamirtham, remember to smile. Muruga is watching, and He likes His wisdom served with a side of joy!

On this auspicious day, you can listen here to the song composed by Saint Tyagaraja in praise of Lord Muruga, set to the rāgam Supradipam and beautifully rendered by Sri Balamuralikrishna: