Kanda Shasti Kavasam

Kanda Shashti Kavacham or Skanda Sashti Kavasam (கந்த சஷ்டி கவசம்) is a Hindu devotional song composed in Tamil by Devaraya Swamigal (born c. 1820), a student of Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, on Murugan, the son of Shiva, in Chennimalai near Erode. It was composed in the 19th century.

Composition
The hymn was composed in the 19th century by Balan Dhevaraya Swami. The place where Devaraya Swami staged the hymn is the Chennimalai Subramania Swamy Temple near Erode in Tamil Nadu. The lines 'Chiragiri Velavan' in the hymn refers to the lord of Chennimalai.

Description
The song consists of a total of 244 lines, including four introductory lines known as the kāppu, followed by a couple of meditational lines and the main song portion consisting of 238 lines known as the "Kavacham." The grammar employed in the introductory part is the Nerisai Venbam and that of the meditational part is the Kural Venbam, widely known to the Western world for its exclusive usage in the Tirukkural. The "Kavacham" part follows the grammar of Nilai Mandila Asiriyappa. The plan of the song is as follows:


 * Invocation
 * Lines 1-4 Introduction: Written in Nerisai Venbam
 * Lines 5-6 Meditation: Written in Kural venbam
 * Main Song
 * Lines 1-16 Author invites the deity to the devotee
 * Lines 17-27 Mantras are used to invite the deity presented to the devotee
 * Lines 28-32 Upon using mantras, the divine light and the presence of the deity is felt
 * Lines 33-45 Author describes the way the deity looks at the devotee
 * Lines 46-54 Author strings the sounds of the deity's footsteps and anklets into mantras
 * Lines 55-56 Depict the swiftness of the deity in coming to the rescue of His devotee
 * Lines 57-58 Surrendering of the devotee to the deity and the devotee's prayers unto Him
 * Lines 59-95 Praising the deity, these lines concern with the protection of individual parts of the body
 * Lines 96-102 Concerns with the deity's saving of His devotee at all times of the day
 * Lines 103-129 Concerns with the eradication of vicious effects of demons and devils
 * Lines 130-140 Concerns with prayer to God's Messenger to release the devotee from the vicious cycle of birth and death
 * Lines 141-148 Concerns with the protection from wild and venomous animals
 * Lines 149-157 Concerns with freedom from diseases
 * Lines 158-159 Prayer to maintain a cordial relationship with others
 * Lines 160-175 Praises the deity by His various names and His divine deeds
 * Lines 176-177 Worshiping goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge
 * Lines 178-186 Describes the divine power of the Sacred Ash (Vibuthi) and its effects
 * Lines 187-192 Praises the deity
 * Lines 193-199 Seeks asylum in the deity
 * Lines 200-208 Describes the procedures for reciting the song
 * Lines 209-214 Describes the divine effects of the song
 * Lines 215-219 Describes the effects of the song on evil elements
 * Lines 220-234 Praises the divine deeds of the deity
 * Lines 235-238 Salutation and complete surrender of the self unto the deity

The author's name is mentioned twice in the song, first in Line 64 and then in Line 201.

Poetic form
The song employs Nilai Mandila Asiriyappa, one of the poetic forms in the Tamil language. The armour and meditation parts of the Introduction section employ the Venpa metre and Kural venba metre, respectively.

Music
The Kavasam has been set in music by various musicians over the years. The most notable of them all is that sung by the duo Rajalakshmi and Jayalakshmi, popularly known as the Soolamangalam Sisters. It is sung in ragamalika (a song composed in multiple ragas), including the ragas of Abheri, Shubhapantuvarali, Kalyani, Thodi, and Madhyamavathi.

Significance
Sashti is the day that Murugan defeated the asura Surapadman. When the devas could not tolerate the evil doings of this asura, they approached the younger son of Shiva and Parvati for his assistance. He fought Surapadman for six days, at the end of which the deity vanquished the asura. He threw his weapon at him and split Surapadman into two halves. One half became a peacock, which he took as his vahana. The other became a rooster, which and was transformed into his banner.

The devas rejoiced—they praised the deity and prayed to him for six days. Devotees usually narrate the Kanda Sashti Kavacham during this period. Whoever fasts and prays to Murugan for the six days of Kanda Sashti is believed to receive Muruga's blessings. Those who are unable to fast all day can eat once a day or twice a day during this period depending on their health, age and will.

Devotees believe that regular chanting of this song causes the predicaments of life to be resolved and that chanting the full song 36 times a day brings wealth.

In popular culture
The hymn is highly popular in the Tamil-speaking diaspora across the globe that the phrases from the hymn, its music, and others are often imitated by people from all walks of life. The titles of the Tamil movie Kaakha Kaakha and the Indian soap opera Kakka Kakka are taken from the Kanda Shasti Kavasam. The Tamil film song “Padhinettu vayadhu ilamottu manadhu” from the movie Surieyan imitates the tune of the hymn.

Controversy
In July 2020, Karuppar Kootam, a Periyarist-Dravidian group, posted a YouTube video with an interpretation of the hymn that many Hindus around the world considered to be vulgar and offensive. Soon after the incident, following a complaint filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party Tamil Nadu with the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai City, the Tamil Nadu Police arrested two members of the YouTube channel.