Armed with a boon of eternal life from Lord Shiva, the most destructive Asura and his army have created havoc in the multiverse. The only person who can annihilate the dangerous Asura clan is someone born from the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti.
Six children are born out of six balls of cosmic fire created by Lord Shiva. On seeing these beautiful children, Goddess Parvati hugs them together and they immediately transform into a single divine being with one body with six heads—Lord Muruga.
Armed with his powerful Vel (lance), Lord Muruga starts fulfilling the sole purpose of his life—destroying the Asuras—even when he is a mere child. The Vel, a gift from his mother Shakti, is not merely a weapon for the destruction of evil, but is also an embodiment of the power of knowledge. The Vel is also the protector of the devotees of Lord Muruga.
There is, however, much more to the story of Lord Muruga. The lord of war is as comfortable with his Leelas as he is as the consummate warrior who ends the race of the most ruthless of Asuras.
Lord Muruga is the ultimate creator, protector and destroyer.
Muruga, the son of Shiva and Shakthi is beautifully characterized in the book. The backstory of Muruga's birth, from the yagna of Daksha is described in detail for the understanding of the reader.
I liked the way the battle between the asuras and devas has been described how Indra is portrayed as a coward and how he saves only himself at the first sign of trouble. The warriorstic qualities of some devas are accepted by the asuras.
The description of Maya is fathomable in the story and how everyone falls for it including revered sages. The strength of the asura clan and their unity, their refusal to cry after the death of all males is powerful and remarkable.
The islands of the asuras were shown to the readers and not just told. The war scenes were phenomenal. The strategy of the army of Muruga, the way they penetrated into the islands, the way they killed each opponent was stupendous.
The book was narrated so powerfully that I could feel the emotions in the book as I read chapter by chapter. The presentation was simple and perfect. The imagery the book provided transported me to the very place where the event happened and I was looking at the scenes from the sidelines.
This is a beautiful book and can be read by young adults to know about our rich culture and how thoughtful people did things in war and peace.
Muruga is the lord of war but an epitome of love and kindness. Some lines of the book is imprinted in my heart forever. I would recommend this book for every Tamil youth as Muruga is considered as the God of the Tamils and Tamil speaking God.
I have completed reading the book "MURUGA" written by Anand. He has narrated the full "Skandham" in a very interesting manner in simple English. This book will be very much useful for those who wants to know about Lord Muruga. The young students should read these type of books. The author so young has completely mastered the script of Skandham and narrated the story in a very nice way by splitting into small chapters and giving the chapter name by the character involved / introduced. Best wishes to Sri Anand Balasubramaniam and hope he will be bestowed with the blessings of Lord Muruga to come with few more stories like this. Muruga Saranam
A superb account of the events leading to the genesis of three mighty Asuras, the births of Vinayak Swami and Muruga Swami, and battles for control of multiverses. Beautiful writing; scholarly yet lively. A must read for everyone interested in Hindu/Sanatan itihaas. I look forward to more books from Shri. Anand Balasubramaniam.
Am amazing epic story with a straightforward narration meant for people who wants to know the story of Muruga, who is a famous god in south of India. The characterization, details of war etc. are written in great detail but above everything else, there seems to be no black and white characters in the book for every point of view is covered.