Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 15,824
Date uploaded in London –3 June 2026
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
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tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
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MO, MU words
Modaka/m
Modaka is found in the hand of Ganesh statues. This sweet rice dumpling is his favourite food. Tamil Brahmins and Maharashtrians make it and offer it to Lord Ganesh during Ganesh Chaturthi festival. It is a steamed snack in which coconut mixed with jaggery is stuffed into cups made up of rice flour.
Modaka (मोदक) refers to a “sweet ball”, according to the Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa Yuddhakhaṇḍa 131.38
Modaka (मोदक) refers to a type food-stuff used in the worship of Gaṇeśa, according to the Padmapurāṇa 1.65
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Moksha
One of the four stages in a Hindu’s life: Dharma, Artha, Kama Moksha; of the four stages, Moksha is the final goal all Hindus aim at.
Moksha most commonly refers to the ultimate spiritual goal in Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Literally translating to “release” or “liberation” in Sanskrit, it signifies freedom from samsara—the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
It is achieved by realizing the ultimate truth and freeing oneself from the illusions of the ego and karmic baggage
Most of the devotional songs or poems pray for this.
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Mookambhika
Sarasvati or Vak Devi.
Mookambika is Hindu Goddess of Knowledge and her famous abode, the Kollur Mookambika Temple, is located in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India.
She is an aspect of Adi Parashakti (the supreme mother goddess) and is considered a powerful union of Goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.
The legend of the Kollur Mookambika Temple is deeply intertwined with the journey of Adi Shankara. The Goddess agreed to follow him to Kerala on the condition that he never looked back; when he did, she stayed in Kollur. Adi Shankaracharya meditated in the Chitramoola caves on the Kodachadri hills and requested the Goddess to come with him to Kerala. She agreed, but on the strict condition that she would walk behind him and he must never look back to check. When the tinkling sound of her anklets abruptly stopped, Adi Shankara turned back, breaking the vow. The Goddess stayed exactly where they were, which is the current location of the temple in Kollur. Adi Shankara then consecrated the four-armed idol and the Sri Chakra inside the shrine.
Tamil politicians and once chief ministers M G Ramachandran, Jayalalitha and others offered the deity valuable Diamond Sword, golden ornaments etc. This made her popular among their followers as well.
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Mooka kavi
“Mooka Kavi was dumb from birth; but obtaining the grace of Kamakshi he burst forth into exquisite poetry. He sang five hundred verses in praise of Sri Kamakshi in five satakas of 100 verses each. Muka Kavi means dumb (turned) poet. He used to go to Kanchi Kamakshi temple and prostrate before the statue of the goddess every day. One day he saw the goddess and suddenly started composing poems. He was one of the Kanchi Sankaracharyas.
According to Kanchi Mutt calculations Muka Sankara (398-437 CE) was the 20th Shankaracharya. He was the son of Vidyavati, an astronomer. He mastered Vedas after he became eloquent.
Matrugupta, King of Kashmir, and Pravarasena, all considered it a privilege to serve Sri Muka Sankara (Muka Kavi).
The Mooka Pancha Sathi (five hundred verses) is a celebrated Sanskrit devotional text composed by Muka Sankara in praise of Goddess Kamakshi of Kanchi.
The work is divided into five parts (or Shatakas), each containing exactly 100 verses:
Arya Satakam: Focuses on the physical beauty, grandeur, and divine grace of the Goddess, using the melodic Arya meter.
Padaravinda Satakam: Extols the divine, lotus-like feet of Goddess Kamakshi, emphasizing their power to grant salvation and peace.
Stuti Satakam: Comprises hymns of praise and surrender, deeply expressing the devotee’s reverence and reliance on the Goddess’s mercy.
Kataaksha Satakam: Describes the transformative and compassionate sidelong glance of Goddess Kamakshi, which removes sins and brings prosperity.
Mandasmitha Satakam: Details the enchanting and radiant smile of the Goddess, symbolizing her boundless grace and cosmic joy.
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Muchukunda
Very interesting stories are woven around a Choza king who was not recorded or documented in history. The Choza king Mucukunda is in the Puranas and Tamil literature. But history does not know him. From Kandhapurana and Silappadikaram commentaries we know the following details about him:
1.He helped Indra in defeating a demon.
2.Indra gave him a goblin (Bhuta) to protect his city. Later Chera took it to Vanji.
3.Mucukunda ruled from Pumpukar, Choza port city or Tiruvarur.
4.Mucukunda was an ardent devotee of Shiva.
5.He received several statues from Indra and installed them in and around Tiruvarur.
6.His face looked like a monkey (Musu = Monkey).
7.Mucukunda celebrated Indra Festival. He was very much into it.
8. A lot of Sthalapuranas have recorded Mucukunda’s role in local temples. He is connected with Tiruvarur, Tirumaraikkadu, Nagappatinam, Tirunallaru, Tirukkarayal, Tiruvaymur and Tirukkuvalai.
Following are the references from the Puranas and Tamil Epic Silappadikaram.
Pumpukar was a port city in the Chola kingdom. The importance of Pukar was not long lived. Now part of it is under the sea– Bay of Bengal. Anticipating the forthcoming devastation of the city, ‘buta’ (goblin) at Butachahukkam, which was brought from Indra’s abode by Mucukunta, was removed to Vanji by the Chera king. Source : –Canto 28 commentary of Silappadikaram
Origin of Cholzas is shrouded in mystery. Pura Nanuru of Sangam literature and Silappadikaram of Post Sangam period praised Sibi Chakravarthy in many places as the forefather of the Chozas. Sibi ruled North West of India, far away from the Choza territory of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Encyclopeadia Abidana Chintamani adds more interesting stories: Mucu means monkey and when he was born as a monkey in the Himalyas, he did offer Bilva leaves to Shiva. As a result of this Puja he was born as a son of Dilipa and Mangalvathy in the solar race found in Hindu Puranas. Then he married Vichitravathy and helped Indra in his fight against Vala. When Indra told him that he would give him a gift, Mucukundan wanted a particular Shiva idol from Indra. That was given to Indra by Vishnu. But Indra gave him a different idol. This happened six times and at last he got the idol he wanted. He installed all the idols in different temples in Thanjavur district. The main idol was installed in Tiruvarur.
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Mudagalya
Story of Mudgala is in Mahabharata, the longest epic in the world. Mudgala was a great sage. He ate only twice a month on Full Moon Day and New Moon Day. He used to gather grains from the field and cook it for his family. He lived with his wife Nalayani, his son and daughter in law. There may be many Rishis (seers) with this name; but the common belief is that the Maudgalya Brahmins came from this Vedic Rishi (sage).
Though Mudgala lived in poverty, he used to feed all the Brahmins, saints and others whoever came to him. He gleaned grains like a pigeon, but it never underwent diminution. This was a miracle like Akshaya patra (inexhaustible vessel) of Draupadi. Once sage Durvasa wanted to test his patience. He went in the disguise of a mendicant just before his fortnightly meals. Mudgala gave his share, but it did not satisfy the mendicant’s hunger. He demanded more and consumed all the food in the house. He returned after a fortnight and did the same- devoured all the available food. This happened six times. Mudgala never burst out in anger. He was happy to feed him.
Durvasa, the sage who was notorious for his anger, was extremely happy and revealed his identity. At the same time a messenger from the heaven came to take him to heaven in appreciation of his hospitality and generosity. He did not fall a prey for heavenly pleasures. He asked the messenger the benefits of going to heaven. Messenger told him that he would enjoy all the pleasures there as long as his merits are not exhausted. Once all the merits are used he would have to return to earth. Immediately he refused the offer and told him that he wanted to do more penance. He dismissed the messenger of the gods and began to practise ascetic virtues. He decided to go to the eternal abode where there is no sorrow, nor distress nor change. (3-216 Mbh).
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Mudra
BUDDHA SHOWING FIVE DIFFERENT MUDRAS
A mudra is a hand gesture with fingers pointing different directions or postures. The reason for having different postures is to channelize the body energy. Each Mudra brings or enhances certain type of energy in us.
All Hindu Gods show Mudra mostly Abhaya or Varada.
Mudras are used by Hindu priests differently. There is a book called ‘Mudra Vidanam’ giving a list of over 125 Mudras. A Brahmin who does Sandhyavandana ritual three times a day use Mudras as well. The Sanskrit slokas in the beginning of the book explain the significance of those Mudras. It says Mudras make the Devas (angels and gods) happy and it drives away the sins. The Devatas in charge of each Mantra (spell) are pleased with the Mudras. It also adds one should learn the Mudras used in Archana, Japa, Dhyana (Prayer and Meditation) Kamya Karmas (desire fulfilling rituals), Snanam , Avahanam (Bathing and Invoking), Prathista, Rakshanam and Naivedyam ( Installing, preserving and offering to god). The book classified Mudras under 11 titles and illustrated all Mudras with line drawings.
In the classical dance called Bharatanatyam, there are lot of Mudras called Karanas. They are used to express feelings and give different messages. The books about Mudras are in Sanskrit. There are 108 different Mudras shown on the tower of Chidambaram temple where the Lord of Dance Nataraja/Shiva appears in his dancing form. The dance Mudras are different from Yoga Mudras. The Tantric Mudras are different from these two categories.
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Muralidhara
Muralidhara (often spelled Muralidhar or Muralidhara) is a Sanskrit name meaning “the one who holds the flute.” [1, 2]
In Hindu mythology, it is one of the most popular epithets used for Lord Krishna, who is famously depicted as a cowherd boy enchanting the world by playing the divine melody on his flute (the murali).
Lord Skanda is called Murugan in Tamil.
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Muruga
Murugan means handsome one, beautiful.
He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
He is the younger brother of Ganesh .
His vehicle is peacock.
Skanda’s other names are Subrahmanya, Kartikeya, Shanmukha
Hindu gods like Ganesh, Murugan are shown with many hands, some with many heads.
He is the popular god with highest number of heads and hands.
He has six heads and 12 hands in Shanmuga form. Shanmukha means six faces. You may wonder why? If you are at school final level, please got to Level Two of Skanda Murugan.
In normal form, he is also shown as a child like Ganesa. He is Kumara (youth) or Bala kumara.
Subrahmanya means he possesses all the qualities of Brahman (god).
The name Kartikeya came to him because he was raised by six Krittika women personified as stars in the sky.
He was born in a grass land and so he is known as Saravana bhava.
Saravana is the name of the forest/grass land
We know that Ganesa is the head of Bhuta Ghana’s and in the same way Murugan is the Commander of the Divine Army. He killed Tarakasura and Sura pathman.
Skanda worship is very popular in Tamil speaking world. Tamils give Him a special status and so he is known as Tamil God.
They celebrate all his festivals with Kavadi. They carry it to the
Temple . A normal Kaavadi will have a long pole tied with two baskets on either side. Devotee s carry food and offerings to god in the attached pots or baskets. Later they constructed different shapes.
Another important thing is that his temples are mostly on top of hills or at the foot of the hills. There are six famous temples for him in Tamil Nadu
He married two women and they are Valli and Devasena (Deivaanai)
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Muladhara/m
Muladhara (the Root Chakra) is the first energy center in the body, located at the base of the spine. It governs your sense of stability, safety, and basic survival needs (like food and shelter). When balanced, you feel grounded and confident; when blocked, it can cause anxiety or fear.
Root Chakra (Mooladhara): The Gateway of Power
Sex Chakra (Svadhisthana): Overcoming Karma and Sensory Delusions
Navel Chakra (Manipuraka): The Seat of Power and Spiritual Mastery
Heart Chakra (Anahata): The Portal to Love and Divine Connection
Throat Chakra (Vishuddha): The Repository of Karma and Truth
Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): The Birthplace of Divine Wisdom
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Mulam star Mamular Tiru Mular
Mulam (also known as Moola) is the 19th lunar mansion in Vedic astrology, falling within the Sagittarius zodiac sign. Known as the “Foundation Star” or “Root Star,” it is symbolized by a tied bunch of roots and is governed by Ketu (the south lunar node) and the goddess Nirriti.
Mythological Association: It is frequently associated with Lord Hanuman’s birth star.
Literary references – Tiru Mular, Saivite saint of ninth century CE and Ma Mular of Sangam Tamil Literature are linked with Mulam star
The astronomical name of the Moolam star (or Moola Nakshatra) is Lambda Scorpii.
In modern astronomy, this refers to a multiple star system (primarily \(\lambda \) Scorpii) located in the tail of the Scorpius constellation
To be continued…………
Tags – Murugan, Moksha, Mookakavi, Modaa, Mulam star,HINDU DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH AND TAMIL 69; இந்து மத கலைச்சொல் அகராதி-69
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Tamil and Vedas 