In the holy abode of the Lord, Kailash, the Mother of the Universe, Shakti, heard from Pashupati, the holy Agamas. As God had said that the essence of the Agamas, that pleases Him, is worship, the Goddess became interested in worshiping the Lord in the Agamic way. She expressed Her desire to the Lord, the essence of the Agamas, to worship Him in the great Agamic way He just explained. The Lord, blessing Her wish, asked Her to go to Kanchi at the place where He had taken abode beneath a mango tree. The Supreme's Shakti, who is the power behind every action and who is the base of this entire existence, started Her worship of the Lord praised by scriptures.

The Goddess came accompanied by many creatures and celestial beings to Kanchi. The serpent, Mahapadma, received Her and keeping Her feet, praised by Brahma and Vishnu, on his head requested Her to stay in the pit he resided in. Staying there while increasing the pleasure and love of all the lives around, the Goddess praised by Vedas, looked for the mango tree, beneath which the form of Lord she wanted to worship was supposed to be. She could not find it. She decided to perform penance to see Him. With Her heart seeking the Lord and the Holy Five Letters emanating from Her, Her tender budlike hands folded in the posture of salutation, the Mother performed a glorious penance. The One, who is difficult to be seen even after long austerities, appeared in front of the Goddess at the root of a mango tree. The Goddess was pleased and She rushed with all Her devotion to worship the Lord by the rules described in the Agamas.

With the Agamas in Her thoughts, She brought flowers for worship. She bathed the Lord with fresh water from the river Kambai, adorning Him with paste and flowers, waving pleasant incense and decorated lamps before the Supreme Luminance, the Queen of the Universe, worshiped Shiva as per the Agamas with pure devotion. This splendid worship of the Lord, who sits in Yoga, grew day by day. One day in play, the Lord, who contained the deluge waters of Ganga in His Matted Hair, made the river Kambai flood. The water swept away the banks and was rushing fiercely towards the spot where the Goddess was engrossed in worship. She, the first devotee of the Lord, was alarmed at the rising waters. In order to prevent them from entering the holy place where the Lord was, She tried to stop the surge with Her hands. What in the world would not stop at the movement of Her hand, but this flood of grace, His play, did not stop and surged ahead. The Goddess of great love, who set the example for an ardent devotee, hugged the Lord. That Devotee of peerless love, held tight in anxiety the Lord within Her breasts, bangled hands and face, arresting the Lord in Her wonderful devotion.

The Lord, who is above all the forces, changed His form to the force of Her love. The pleased Lord, who was worshiped by Shakti in the Agamic way, offered Her boons. The Goddess, who exemplified worship, humbly said that worship was yet to be completed and pleaded with Him to accept it as she completes. The Lord said Her worship is one that never ends. The Mother asked the Lord to enjoy Her worship daily, and asked boons for people to perform good deeds and charity for the benefit of the world at that place and blessings for the devotees of the town. Goddess then took Her abode in Kamakottam, driving away the sins of the devotees and bringing them to the path of Truth.

This incident is narrated in the Tirukuriputhonda Nayanar Puranam of Periya Puranam. This chapter describes in detail the glory of Kamakottam and Kanchipuram.

Har Har Mahadev

• माँ शक्ति की एकांब्रेश्वर स्वामी की उपासना 

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