Karuppasamy's Birth

 

In Ramayana, Lord Rama sent Sita to the forest when she was pregnant where she lived in Valmiki's ashram. While in the Ashram, She gave birth to twin male boys, Luv and Kusha, who had golden and blue complexions respectively. One day, Sita left the children under the care of Valmiki.

 

When Sita returned, she found Valmiki meditating and hence took the Kusha without his notice. When Valmiki was out of the meditation, he found one child missing. So, he made a similar looking child from holy Kusha Grass (Dherbai). Later when he found that Sita was having her real child, he asked Sita to treat the new baby also as her own child. Thus Sita brought up all three kids together.

 

When Sita returned to Rama, he set a fire and asked the boys to cross the fire to reach him. He told that whoever was his real heir would cross the fire unscathed. All three completed the task but only Luv and Kusha could reach Ram unscathed while the boy brought up by Valmiki burnt his body becoming darker. Finally, Rama got to know what had happened in the forest and he blessed the burnt boy to become his escort god (Kaval deivam) and called him Karuppu Sami (meaning 'dark colored God').[

 

That was the reason why Karuppa Sami has the sacred tri-strips (Thiru Namam) on his forehead and also I heard that while calling the deity, the pujaris sing that “Dherbaiyil pirandhavane (born from the holy grass)”.

 

Parallels betweeen Kalki Avatar and Karuppasamy

 

The Kalki archetype, or Avatar is said to be the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is said to come to end the present age of darkness and destruction, he is the god who leads us through this transition to the Golden age.

The name ‘Kalki’ is metaphorically linked to eternity or time. The origins of the name bring in the meaning ‘Destroyer of Foulness,’ ‘Destroyer of Confusion’, ‘Destroyer of darkness’ or ‘Annihilator of ignorance’.

 

The representation of justice and righteousness is very similar to that of Karuppasamy.  Destroying evil, bringing in justice,  the Bhagavata Purana states, “Lord Kalki, the Lord of the Universe, will mount his swift white horse Devadatta and sword in hand travel the earth exhibiting his eight mystic opulence’s,  destroying all evil,”- the roles of both the deities are similar and parallel to one another.

 

Both these archetypes represent the path towards destroying the old negative habitual patterns towards the path of a new era. They are the guiding lights of transition from this age to the new Golden Age.