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Sanat Kumara is one of the four sons created from the mind of Lord Brahma the creator. Once while meditating in Brahma Loka (Abode of Lord Brahma), he had a vision of fighting against the Asuras. Being a Bramha Jnani (A Self realised soul) who has transcended all the pair of opposites, he was perplexed and wanted an answer from Lord Brahma. The Lord explained that as a Brahmana in his previous birth, he had witnessed Asuras destroying his ashram and in his anger he wanted to destroy them. That thought is the reason behind this dream. The Lord assured him that there may be a purpose behind this dream since the dream of a Jnani should come true.

Later, once Lord Shiva and Parvati visited Brahma Loka. Lord Brahma welcomed them with great reverence and happiness. Unmoved by the Lord’s divine presence Sanat Kumara continued his meditation. Lord Shiva was very much pleased by his Brahma Jnanam and blessed him with a boon of his choice. Sanat Kumara politely declined it as he had no need for a boon. Then Lord Shiva asked him to grant a boon for himself which he immediately agreed upon. Lord Shiva asked him to be born as his son which was accepted by Sanat Kumara on a condition that he should be born to Shiva alone without the involvement of Mother Parvati as Lord Shiva was the one who asked for the boon. Parvati Devi was immensely annoyed by this request but got pacified as she realised that there was a purpose behind this.

Lord Subrahmanya was born from the six sacred sparks emanated from the divine third eye of Shiva in the month of Vaishaka and his birth star was Vishaka. The fire god Agni carried the sparks and deposited them in the Sharavana pond and six divine babies were born in a lotus flower who were nursed by six celestial Karthika women. Later Mother Parvati hugged them all and they turned into one child with six faces.

We may have often wondered how education was in ancient India?  What was the system and what process was followed? How was the teacher-student relationship?

The answer is that education was a collaborative effort between the teacher and the student where both the teacher and student seeked to be uplifted. This is depicted in the famous ‘Sahana-vavatu’ chant which used to be chanted before their joint study.

सह नाववतु | सह नौ भुनक्तु | सह वीर्यं करवावहै |
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ||

Let us understand the meaning in detail,

सह नाववतु | सह नौ भुनक्तु |
Please protect we both together (teacher & student). Please nourish we both together (teacher & student).

सह – Together
नौ – We both
अवतु – Please protect
भुनक्तु – Please nourish

सह वीर्यं करवावहै |
Together may we both accomplish great valiant tasks.

तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु
May our joint study be filled with radiance.

मा विद्विषावहै
May there not be any difference of opinion/dispute between us.

1) अगजानन पद्मार्कं गजाननम् अहर्निशम् |
अनेकदं तं भक्तानाम् एकदन्तं उपास्महे ||

‘Aga’ means the mountain which does not move. ‘Agajaa’ refers to someone who is born from the mountain.  We know that Goddess Parvati is born to the mountain king and hence the reference in the first line is to her.  Seeing Gajanana (her son Ganesha) day & night , the face of Goddess Parvati lights up just like a lotus opens up to a ray of sunlight (Padma- lotus & Arka – sunbeam).

We worship such a person, Lord Ganesha who is single tusked (Ekadanta) and a giver of plenty (Anekada) for his devotees.

2) वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभ |
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ||

O Lord Ganesha ! (who has a curved trunk, a huge body and whose radiance is similar to that of a crore suns ), please remove obstacles in all my tasks and at all times.

3) गजाननं भूतगणाधिसेवितम् |
कपित्थजम्बुफलसारभक्षितम् |
उमासुतं शोकविनाशकारणं |
नमामि विघ्नेश्वरपादपङ्कजम् ||

I pay my respect to the lotus feet of Lord Vigneshwara (Ganesha) who is worshipped by the Ganas, who enjoys the juice of various types of apples (Kapittha & Jambu), who is the son of Goddess Uma (Goddess Parvati) and who causes the removal of all grief.