The divine mango

There is a lovable story that Tamizhs are familiar with. Narada brings a mango, a fruit of knowledge to Shiva. This has a condition, though. The fruit may not be shared. Murugan & Pillaiyaar fight over the mango. The one who goes around the world thrice first would get it. Murugan goes around the world thrice. Pillaiyaar sees Shiva Parvati as the world & goes around them thrice. Gets the mango. Murugan is annoyed & leaves in a huff. After some dramatic episodes, he's eventually coaxed back.

Puranic stories have multi-layered symbology. What is the meaning of this story?

Nara means human. Narada means he who gives the right knowledge & prevents the wrong path for humans. Narada gives the divine fruit of knowledge but you need to go through a test to get it.

Murugan went around the entire world, yet didn't get the mango. Pillaiyaar went around Shiva-Parvathi right there with him & got it. 

Traveling the entire world & going external will not give you the divine fruit of knowledge. Going within (to the Shakthi & Shiva within us) will yield it. This is beautifully expressed in the Lalitha Sahasranamam: अन्तर्मुखसमाराध्या बहिर्मुखसुदुर्लभा.

This fruit can't be shared. Why? The divine fruit of self knowledge that is within, can only be attained by us. Only we can make the journey to our own self; others may guide but this fruit is ours alone to experience.

The divine mango is the fruit of self-knowledge. For that, you need to go around thrice. Why thrice?

Per Kundalini Yoga, there are three granthas (knots) & main chakras that one eventually reaches through deep Dhyana (meditation). The Kundalini Shakthi itself has three main Nadis that are used to unravel the granthas. Once past this, one gets the divine knowledge.

What does Murugan do? He leaves everything & becomes an Aandi (Sanyasi or ascetic who has renounced everything external). He is worshipped in the Aandi Kolam in Pazhani.

At this point, Avvaiyaar, the lovable Tamizh Patti saint, sings: Pazham Neeyappa. You are the divine fruit yourself. The divine fruit of knowledge is not external to us; it is internal within.

Such a simple lovable story of a brotherly rivalry with multi-layered meanings.

Murugan is Jnana Panditha, the Vedic name reserved for him & no one else. He represents the Ajna Chakra, the fire of knowledge born directly out of Shiva, the final Sahasrara Chakra on top.

Further reading:

https://vedham.blogspot.com/2018/10/lalitha-sahasranamam-inner-meaning.html

http://vedham.blogspot.com/2021/09/notable-ganeshas.html

http://vedham.blogspot.com/2016/07/zakir-naik-ganesha-secret.html